The Course of True Love
by Begger4mcgregor
Summary: ...never did run smooth.  Stories of William T. Spears and Grell Sutcliff, and the afterlife they built together.  The drabble series sequel to "All the Difference".
1. Prologue

_Here as promised is my drabble series about William and Grell, and the afterlife they built together. I was originally intending on just posting them as random drabbles, but as I was thinking about it… another idea came to me that would draw it all together. So just trust me (or don't XD), and all shall be revealed. I categorized this as only "Romance" because it will touch on many more genres, incl__uding humor, angst, drama and maybe even a sprinkling of smut ;) And fluff. Don't forget fluff._

_There will be no particular order to each drabble unless stated, as they are just random moments in their lives, but all of the ficlets are following the events of "All the Difference". You don't have to read it to understand this though methinks, but it wouldn't hurt. Feel free to suggest scenarios/prompts of things you'__d like to see, and I might just be inspired to give them a try =D_

_These drabbles depict a MalexMale relationship, and the rating may (and probably will) go up, so don't like… don't read :P As always I do not own Kuroshitsuji, but I suppose I do own my three random OC's that only appear in this chapter XD Please forgive my wild speculation and blatant making shit up… because really… isn't that what fanfic is for ;)_

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Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,  
Could ever hear by tale or history,  
The course of true love never did run smooth

_A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 1, scene 1_

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_March 4__th__ 2011_

_London Shinigami Dispatch_

_Shinigami Library, lower level, Branch C_

"Ssssssssssh!"

"Shut up! We're gonna get caught!"

"Only if _you_ don't shut up!"

"Shut _up_! This is the place!"

The three bickering shinigami fell silent as they gripped the door's rusted handle and slowly turned. _Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek_. They collectively cringed as the ancient hinges groaned in protest, then peeked inside to see that the coast was clear. Slipping inside and shutting the door quickly, all three breathed sighed of relief.

"God, if senpai catches us down here, we're dead!" a stocky young man with blonde hair and thick tortoiseshell glasses resting on his freckled nose whispered.

His concern was answered with a swift smack to the back of his head by a petite brunette girl wearing lavender frames. "You're such a wet blanket Andy! And why in the hell are you whispering? No one will hear us down here!"

Rubbing his head and wincing, Andy chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you're right Becca. So, found anything good Matt?"

The last member of their party, a lanky young man with curly dark brown hair stood scanning the vast store of cinematic records. "Hmmmm, maybe… Ciel Phantomhive. It's not too long, which is good since you guys said you might wanna catch that party in General Affairs later tonight. Looks like he was… 16 when he died."

"When did he die?" Becca asked.

"1890. Looks like it'll be a period drama." He smirked and adjusted his thin wire framed spectacles, amused at his lame own joke.

"Way back then, he probably just died of illness of something. Their medical knowledge was pretty piss poor back in the day." Andy suggested in a slightly bored tone.

"Nah… the notes say…" Matt whistled in surprise, "…shit, the kid sold his soul to a demon!"

"Wow, don't see that much these days!" the blonde exclaimed.

"Yeah well, humans don't really believe in demons anymore do they? And even if they did, why would you need one to do your bidding when nowadays everything you'd ever need is only a Google search away?" The young lady of the group reasoned.

"True. So, this sound good, or you want me to keep looking?" Matt asked, holding up the record.

"Keep looking. Who wants to watch some brat order a demon around? There's gotta be _something_ juicy down here!" Becca declared, joining her friend in search of quality evening entertainment.

Across the isle, Andy gasped and held up a massive cinematic record. "Look at the size of this one! It's gotta be a Shinigami… I can't make out the name though. He died pretty recently… 2004. You _know_… I bet some of our senpai are in here!" the young man excitedly exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me! How 'bout you Becca?" Matt laughingly asked, eager to see his senpai in their younger days… and possibly collect some blackmail material.

"Bring it on! I've been _dying_ to get some dirt on Spears! Give _me_ overtime will you…" she replied excitedly, grumbling the last bit to herself.

Andy set about readying the record for viewing while Becca and Matt busied themselves pulling throw pillows, blankets, popcorn and bottles of beer from large gym bags each of the them had brought. The projector hummed loudly as Andy sped through the record. This guy had been a shinigami for _centuries_, and they didn't have all night! Stopping at a random spot somewhere in the middle, he turned on the projector and settled down next to his friends as the picture flickered to life.

…_nt __to Will, more than anything, but the New Year just started, and I can't go breaking my resolution __that __quickly now can I?_

"Whoa! This looks more like a chick flick! No way!" Matt lamented and moved to get up.

_You're resolution? You mean, to be… kissed… by…_

"A _Yaoi_ chick flick! Sit your ass back down!" Becca squealed as she yanked Matt down by the sleeve with one hand and tossed some popcorn in her mouth with another, her eyes glued to the screen.

"_Yaoi_? Don't you mean _gay_? You are such a God damn nerd Becca." Andy muttered.

_It really __does __make all the difference Will._

"Shut up!" she hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.

As the two men on screen locked lips Becca sighed and sat forward a bit, completely enthralled. Meanwhile Matt and Andy looked at one another and made exaggerated gagging noises. Unfortunately Matt found his eyes drawn back to the screen as one of the two lovebirds moaned particularly loudly. Squinting in disbelief, he whispered "Hey… doesn't that kinda look like…"

"There's no way…" Andy slowly replied, knowing what Matt was thinking but refusing to except it.

"…Spears senpai?" they both gasped in unison.

Three pairs of eyes stayed glued to the screen in shock as the cinematic record flickered on…

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To be continued...


	2. Compromise

Compromise

William groaned and buried his face further into his lover's crimson hair as his alarm clock blared incessantly. Honestly, William didn't think he had _ever_ wanted to skip work, knowing how vitally important a Shinigami's job was, but he had never realized how _comfortable_ it could be lying in bed with a warm body pressed against him. Grell seemed to share the opinion as he wrapped his arms tighter around William's frame and sleepily nuzzled his face into the crook of his lover's neck.

"Mmmmm… 5 more minutes" the redhead mumbled.

"No," William sighed, pulling himself away from that tempting warmth before sitting up and stretching. "We've got to get ready for work."

Grell pouted and pulled the covers over his head. "Aaa~ it's always work work work with you William~! You're no fun!"

"My, aren't we cranky in the morning?" William deadpanned in response to his lover's melodramatic whining. "Honestly Grell, you're just _now_ realizing that I actually care about my job?" He asked, yawning and moving the sheets to get up.

"Don't you care about _me_~? I didn't even get a good morning…" Grell whimpered pathetically, his pout so pronounced it was audible through the thick comforter.

William sighed and rolled his eyes. He seriously considered not gracing such a ridiculous question with a response. Grell should _know_ he cared about him, the redhead was clearly just fishing for attention. Then again, William supposed he _was_ the one that signed up for this, and giving his lover this kind of attention was precisely what one did when one entered into an intimate relationship, or so he'd been told.

Lying back down and ducking under the covers, William fixed Grell with an irritated glare as he spoke, "Of course I care about you! That was an idiotic question and you know it! Honestly, I simply understand the importance of what we do, and I wish you would as well, then perhaps you would take your job more seriously Grell Sutcliff!"

Grell started wide eyed back at him, shocked at Will's total lack of tact or romance as he gasped for some sort of response, when Will's eyes softened slightly as he leaned forward to kiss the redhead on the tip of his nose. "And…good morning Grell" he mumbled as an afterthought, his cheeks dusted a faint pink.

Grell could only giggle and smile at Will's complete and utter… _Willness_, before capturing his lover's lips in a quick kiss. "Good morning Will~!"

William smiled softly at the lingering feeling of Grell's lips on his. "Now come on…" he quickly pecked the redhead on the lips once more before throwing the covers off them, sitting up and reaching for his glasses on the end table. "…work."

"Fi~ne fine! You win~!" Grell groaned, though he smiled playfully as he said it.

Grell sat up and stretched, watching shamelessly as Will got up to find a suitable outfit for the day. Noticing Grell's eyes glued to his naked form, William blushed and covered his genitals while sputtering. "G-Grell, what are you doing? I-It's impolite to stare!"

Smiling mischievously, Grell replied. "I'm just enjoying the view. It's not like I haven't seen it before darling~! You really need to loosen up~!" the redhead purred as he continued to stare.

Huffing as Grell made a valid point, William found some trousers as quickly as possible and slipped a leg inside. As he stood balanced on one leg, fighting his way inside his trousers, Grell changed the subject.

"Hey Will, I think we should move in together~!"

William's jaw hit the floor. So did the rest of him, as he lost his balance and toppled to the ground. Rocketing back up, William adjusted his glasses and blushed furiously. "Move in? But… we…" he noticed that Grell's eyes were trained on his member as he still hadn't gotten those damn trousers up. "Oh honestly Grell!" He yanked the trousers on and glared at his lover. "We can't move in together! These things take time! You have to court one another… and then propose… and have a period of engagement! And we only just… had… you know…"

"I think if you're having it, you should be able to say it Will" Grell said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the other man's discomfort.

Sex sounded so vulgar! F-Fuc… that word was right out! There was making love, which William supposed it most definitely was, for _him_ at least at any rate, but it seemed too… intimate, which seemed ridiculous, seeing as how the act itself was about as intimate as it got. William realized he had been standing there blushing like a school girl for far too long, so clearing his throat he picked the most appropriate term he could think of, "…copulated for the first time two nights ago!"

Grell raised an eyebrow at Will's terminology, but decided to pick his battles on that one. "Yes, but generally people don't _copulate_ before they're married, so we've already gone a bit out of order there. Besides, we've known each other for _decades_ Will, aren't we a bit past the "courting" stage? Though… if you wanted to take me out to dinner I definitely wouldn't say no~!"

William had to admit that Grell was actually making a fair bit of sense, but it was still too soon for that! William had always fiercely guarded his personal space. He still wasn't quite sure how the redhead had made it past the veritable no man's land of trenches and barbed wire that was William's personality, but Grell had somehow weaseled his way past his defenses. William was just getting used to the fact that Grell had been inside is home, his _bed_, several times now! Living with him was just too much!

Sighing, William raked a hand through his hair and met Grell's eyes looking slightly apologetic. "Grell… I… I'm just not ready for that yet" he murmured, hoping his lover wouldn't take it as a rejection.

Grell simply sighed and flopped back on the bed. "Fi~ne, have it your way! I'm at least borrowing your toothbrush today, and bringing my own next time I come over, and I won't take no for an answer! Maybe some other toiletries… and a change of clothes or two…"

As Grell continued to rattle off a list of things he would supposedly be bringing over, William rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. He had heard that relationships were about compromise, and he figured this was a prime example. William was used to telling people what to do and what not to do, using a well placed icy glare or a swift smack from his deathscythe to enforce his orders, but that was at work. In his private life, which William had to admit he didn't seem to have much of until a few days ago, he couldn't just impose his will on his lover. "Alright, you can bring over a few things."

"Thank you Will~!" Grell exclaimed gratefully, though William heavily suspected the redhead would have done what he pleased with or without his permission.

As Grell cheerfully jumped out of bed and bent over to gather up his scattered clothing, William was scandalized to find himself staring... rather shamelessly.

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To be continued...


	3. Because it's Wrong part 1

_Aaaaand rating changed to M, that certainly didn't take long! XD This 2 part drabble was requested by beelzebub on my Black Butler forum. They wanted a kinky fic for Will and Grell, because fluff is a dime a dozen. Weeeell… since it's me, it's still plenty fluffy, but hopefully it's kinky-ish too. I'm not too confident with my "kink" writing abilities, but I figured I'd try XD And yes, the drabble/chapter title is indeed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because that's how I roll_…

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Because it's _Wrong_ part 1

William T. Spears had always firmly believed that with all things in life, there was both a right and wrong way to do things. William prided himself on striving to always do things the right way. He did everything neatly, punctually, perfectly… and Grell was no exception.

Ever since he and the flirtatious redhead's interaction had become… _intimate_, William had steadily climbed the sharp learning curve of what it meant to be in a relationship. He began gracing Grell, and _only_ Grell… and only in _private_, with the occasional smile. Sometimes even two or three times a day! Because smiling was something one did for one's partner. He allowed Grell to touch him when they were alone, to hug him and caress his face and run his fingers through his hair. Never in public or during work hours of course, but at home William allowed Grell free reign over his body, and even sometimes returned the gestures in a manner that could only be described as… affectionate. Grell seemed to flourish with the attention. He would swoon and blush and giggle like a school girl as his long time love bestowed the redhead with soft touches and hesitant smiles meant only for him.

The first time they made love was best left… unmentioned. William didn't enter into such arrangements easily, believing that one should truly love and trust their partner completely before joining together in such an intimate way. Hence, up until that point, William T. Spears had been a virgin. Grell on the other hand… was not. That first time had been awkward and shaky and William was loath to admit how quickly he had climaxed. He had to resort to using his hand to finish off his somewhat frustrated lover.

William firmly believed that anything worth doing was worth doing right, and Grell was definitely worth it in his eyes. The next evening William sat them down and had a frank discussion with Grell about _exactly_ what to do to please him. William was extremely… _thorough_ in his research, using overly technical terms (complete with graphs, diagrams and an overhead projector) and asking questions better suited to a doctor than a lover. Despite Grell's protests of it being positively the most unsexy conversation he had ever had (until William steered the conversation to point out that "unsexy" was in fact not a word, and the redhead stood corrected on how truly _unsexy_ a conversation could be), the results of William's diligent attention to Grell's teachings were a vast improvement.

William was a quick learner, always had been, and in short order he knew exactly what to do to make his lover moan and writhe beneath him. He nearly always took him from behind, as the logistics of two men coupling indicated that the position was optimal for hitting Grell's prostate the highest percentage of the time. Grell occasionally would whine about his partner's lack of creativity and variety in the bedroom, but William saw it as simply finding what was most efficient, and judging by the redhead's reaching climax every time, William could only conclude that he was doing it right.

However, it soon became apparent that something _wasn't_ right. As months went by and William continued to hone in on the most efficient way to please Grell, the redhead seemed to pull further and further away. William was baffled as he suddenly found _himself_ being the one to initiate the kisses and caresses, and Grell more often than not claiming he was too tired or had a headache. When he could manage to drag his lover to bed, it was with less and less enthusiasm from his formerly rambunctious partner.

Grell had also began to do something odd. During their now rare love making, Grell would grip and scratch his own body, often so hard his crimson painted nails would draw blood. They never spoke about it, but it was beginning to truly puzzle, and somewhat worry William.

Then one night, it all went wrong. William awoke in the middle of the night to his bedmate's tossing and turning. Grell was whimpering and squirming, an erection plain as day lifting the sheets covering him. Watching engrossed as Grell's face showed pure rapture, William felt himself getting aroused at the sight of the flushed and panting redhead, idling wondering if Grell were dreaming about him. Though Grell had never looked quite like _that_ when they were together. Just as William's hand began to travel down beneath the sheets, moving with a mind of it's own toward his growing erection, his world shattered.

"Se-Sebas-chan…"

William clenched his teeth in fury and yanked his hand out from underneath the covers to violently shove Grell off the bed, taking great pleasure in the redhead's startled yelp of pain as he hit the ground.

"Wh-What was that for William!" Grell shrieked indignantly.

"You were dreaming about that damned demon Grell!" As Grell's mouth flew open in protest, William pressed on, "And don't even _try_ to deny it, you just said the foul creature's name, and the _state_ you're in is proof enough of what you were dreaming about!"

Grell flushed as he belatedly noted his still throbbing arousal. Refusing to be embarrassed, Grell angrily stood up and fixed the other man with a heated glare. "I can't help what I dream about Will! And maybe I wouldn't have to dream about Sebas-chan if you weren't so _boring_ in the bedroom!"

"Boring! I don't ever hear you complaining!"

"Well you don't exactly hear me _enjoying_ it either do you?"

At Grell's outburst, William could only sit in stunned silence as he processed the situation. Grell _was_ uncharacteristically quiet when they were together… and he _had_ told him he wanted to try other things. Different positions, toys, even dressing up in ridiculous costumes! What was the point of such nonsense? Toys and clothing only distracted from the desired act didn't they? William came to the conclusion that this was _not_ his fault! William had been doing it _right_!

"Then perhaps you'd better seek your _enjoyment_ elsewhere." William replied coldly.

Grell looked shocked at Will's reply, surely never intending the argument to go this far. "But… but Will…"

"Get the hell out of my sight Grell!" William shouted, more overcome with emotion than he could ever remember feeling, so hurt he felt like crying and punching the redhead as hard as he could. He did neither, simply laying down stiffly, facing away from his former lover.

Grell knew this wasn't something he could talk his way out of. He made to reach out to Will, to touch him, convince him he still wanted to try, but thought better of it as he saw him turn away, fairly vibrating with anger. Tears welled up in Grell's eyes as he left the bedroom as calmly as he could. He would not let Will see him cry, he could not be weak in front of him, not anymore. After slamming the door, Grell made his way to the living room sofa in a haze, tears falling freely as he collapsed on the cushions and felt his heart breaking.

OXOXOXOXO

Grell was gone the next morning, and William wasn't sure whether he was sorry or not. Why should he be! Grell had in essence cheated on him! And all this time… why hadn't Grell just _told_ him he wasn't satisfied? Well… in a way he _had_… William growled in frustration. Here William was, thinking he was finally getting a grip on this relationship business, and it turned out he was _still_ doing everything wrong! Hardening his expression, William went about preparing for his day, all the while trying (and failing) not to think about what to do to fix this… if it could even be fixed.

That day was the longest William could ever recall. Grell almost always came into his office at least once a day without fail. It was the best part of his day, the door closed and the cheerful redhead chattering away to him, occasionally stealing a kiss or two and brightening William's day more than Grell would probably ever know. Today however his office remained quiet and empty for the entire day, and on into overtime. His home was uninhabited as well upon his return. William hadn't really been surprised at that, but it did cause a painful sensation in his chest to see Grell's crimson toothbrush on the bathroom counter, his ridiculous lingerie in the dresser, without the redhead's presence to accompany them.

Days passed by, which turned to weeks. William's office remained painfully lonely. The red items scattered throughout his home, that he had once found incredibly tacky, started slowly disappearing, and only in their absence did William realize how accustomed to that passionate color he had become. As he imagined his home, his _life_, without that vivid splash of crimson, William made the decision to swallow his pride and try to stop this foolishness before it was too late. It simply _couldn't_ be too late. So instead of doing what he would normally do when faced with a problem, which was read and quietly ponder on the matter, he decided to take a page out of Grell's book. He began stalking the redhead.

William purposely began assigning Grell missions that would continually run him into that filthy demon. He would watch in revulsion as Grell would shamelessly flirt and throw himself at the creature, the demon always spurning his advances. It's continued refusal was the only thing that saved the wretched creature's life. As William watched Grell's flirtations in horror, he began to notice things he'd never realized in the few times he had previously seen the two interact.

Grell seemed to respond the most not when the demon was civil to him (which was rarely), but when he was _abused_. The redhead seemed to melt when the filthy creature would grip him too tightly and toss him away, actually _moaning_ when he would skid roughly across the ground. William slowly began to realize that Grell was saying things not to elicit a positive reaction at all, but to seemingly provoke the demon into abusing him! Is _this_ what Grell wanted? No wonder he hadn't been satisfied, William would never dream of treating a lover in such a fashion! It was just… wrong.

The more he saw however, the more William realized that _wrong_ seemed to be exactly what Grell desired. It was fortunate that William was still mad enough at the redhead for the whole misunderstanding that he wagered he would be able to do what he was beginning to plan with little trouble. William resolved for the first time in his life to intentionally do something wrong, and this time, he sure as hell would do it _right_.

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To be continued...


	4. Because it's Wrong part 2

Because it's _Wrong_ part 2

William had sent a note to Grell at the office instructing him to come to his place to pick up the last of his things. Grell nearly cried as he crumpled the note. He didn't know how it had all gone so wrong. He had been so happy, so thrilled that Will had felt the same as he had. Sure they had some problems in the bedroom, but they could have worked them out! Grell's pride had gotten in the way though. He still felt that he had done absolutely nothing wrong, lacking the ability to control his dreams! Though he supposed he could have handled the aftermath better, could have gone to apologize by now. It was too late though it seemed, Will's letter had made that plain. With a heavy heart, Grell punched out and made his way to Will's home.

William had never felt more nervous. This was idiotic, ridiculous, disgusting, … _wrong_! Not only would this never work, but it would only succeed in making a fool out of him. This plan was so far out of his comfort zone, William wasn't sure he could handle it if Grell mocked him, which he was sure to. Almost abandoning his scheme, William looked in the bathroom mirror and took in his altered appearance. The clothing the disguise division had provided was perfect, not a single detail missed. His hair was styled uncomfortably, falling in his eyes and over his ears. William didn't know how that _thing_ could handle it.

The most striking difference however, was William's eyes. Like all shinigami, he could change facets of his appearance at will to better blend in with humans, though he rarely used the talent. But to use it for such a purpose, to change his vivid green eyes, part of his very identity as a Shinigami, to _this_… William took a deep breath and schooled his features to mimic those of his role, knowing that Grell was the only thing on earth that meant enough to him that could make him go to such extremes. Hearing the front door open and shut, signaling Grell's arrival, William adopted the foreign mannerism of smirking while tugging his gloves on tighter as he silently slipped into the shadows of his darkened bedroom.

"Will? Will… are you here?" Grell called out tentatively, gingerly making his way through William's small but tidy home. The redhead wondered why all the lights were out. Had Will actually called him over to take everything away and didn't even intend to say goodbye? Clenching his sharp teeth in anguish, Grell gathered the few spare possessions lying around the living room and angrily threw them into the box he had brought. With only a couple pairs of panties in Will's top drawer remaining as proof of the redhead's presence in his life, Grell sighed miserably and made his way into the bedroom. Pausing as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, Grell squinted through the shadows and took halting steps toward the dresser. Before Grell knew what was happening, a warm body collided with his and pressed tight against his back, slamming him against the dresser.

"W-Will?" Grell gasped in shock and a hint of fear.

A silky smirk slid onto his assailant's lips as he wrapped one arm tightly around his prey to hold his arms in place, the other hand snapping up to grasp the redhead's neck in a tight grip. "William won't be joining us Mr. Grell" his captor purred.

Grell cast his eyes about as best he could in the darkness. The hands that held him in an iron grip… were clad in snow white gloves. Surely it couldn't be! His voice was similar… but sounded somewhat different, he smelled different… almost _familiar_. More than a little panicked that an unknown man was in Will's house with it's occupant nowhere to be found, Grell fought hard to free himself of the other man's vice grip. "What have you done with Will?"

"Aren't we naughty Mr. Grell, talking about another man with me pressed against you? Perhaps I should punish you?" the man whispered hotly against the struggling redhead's ear.

Grell shivered involuntarily as the man's teasing words caressed his ears like velvet. It sounded like _him_, and Grell was almost ready to believe he had somehow found his way here to stand in Will's bedroom, but there was just no way. At least, not if Will was still breathing. Growling as that thought occurred to him, Grell redoubled his efforts to escape. "WHERE IS WILL?" he shouted angrily, ready to rip apart anyone who dared hurt him.

The assailant held on tightly and whispered in a slightly annoyed tone, "This is meant to be a fantasy Grell, do try to play along", before gently squeezing the redhead's hand with his own as he restricted him.

Grell's eyes flew open in shock at the familiar tone and soft reassuring squeeze to his hand. "Wi-Will?"

William smiled faintly at Grell's concern for him and kissed his earlobe for a fleeting second to confirm the redhead's assumptions before biting down harshly on the tender flesh. "I'll kindly ask you to not say his name again. You _know_ my name Mr. Grell. Say it for me." William silkily commanded, a smirk once again on his features as he slipped back into character.

Grell trembled with desire as realization of what exactly was going on crashed over him. "Se-Sebas-chan~!" he moaned excitedly, shivering as William licked the shell of his ear in reward.

"Yes." William hissed as he left a wet trail with his tongue to reach the juncture where Grell's neck met his shoulders and bit down hard, making the redhead inhale sharply. In a sudden movement William released his grip on Grell's neck only to weave his finger's through his crimson locks and grip tightly. Shifting their bodies slightly and forcefully yanking Grell's head to the side, William brought their lips together in a fierce kiss.

Without waiting for permission, William roughly shoved his tongue into the hot cavern of Grell's mouth. Grell trembled and moaned as their tongues fought for dominance, his excitement spiking as the tang of blood met his taste buds. William hissed as he carelessly sliced his tongue on Grell's sharp teeth, punishing the redhead by biting his tongue in return. Grell shouted in shocked pleasure and pain as William bit his tongue, squirming desperately to free his hands to touch the dark fantasy before him.

William would not allow Grell to slip free of his grasp, and instead pulled away and used the grip he had on the redhead to shove him to the nearby bed. Before Grell could regain the use of his arms, William was on top of him, pinning the redhead's hands to his sides with his legs straddling him. William was trying hard not to tremble with desire, and with uncertainty. He had never done anything remotely like this… what if he did it wrong? As William felt the stiff butler uniform on his frame, the crisp white gloves on his hands, the hair falling over his face, he thought how everything about this situation was _wrong_. But as he looked down at the panting redhead beneath him, Grell looking back at him as he never had before, his eyes filled with surprise and pure lust, William had never been more turned on. This _was_ wrong, in every sense, and it was exactly what both of them needed.

It was exhilarating pretending to be someone he wasn't, feeling as though he could leave his rules and reservations at the door and just do what his body told him. William smiled devilishly as he roughly untied Grell's red and white striped tie and pulled it from around his neck. Grabbing Grell's arms and bringing them out from under him, William took both of the redhead's wrists in a strong grip and tied the tie tightly around them before leaning forward to secure the tie to the headboard.

Grell was panting and wiggling beneath Will, his arousal already painfully throbbing after his lover's harsh treatment. He gasped in shock as a wave of desire swept through him as he caught a glimpse of Will's eyes in the moonlight filtering into the room. Red. To have gone this far, to have transformed himself into something he so despised… all to please him… Grell was more turned on than he ever thought possible~!

As William tied his hands to the headboard, Grell moaned in excitement at where this was going. Grell had always wanted to be tied up and taken hard, but Will had always refused, making the redhead wonder where his fiery Will had gone? Where was that passionate man Grell knew was lurking just beneath that icy exterior, the man he had glimpsed burning deep within his eyes, if he could only just reach him. _This_ is where he was. William's eyes burned now with such passion and lust, Grell was surprised he wasn't set on fire by his gaze. He couldn't help the exclamation that tumbled from his lips. "Wi~ll!"

William growled and clamped a hand to the redhead's throat once more as he leaned down, soft hair falling to tickle Grell's face as he whispered, "What did I say about that name? Do I need to bite that tongue of yours again Mr. Grell?" He punctuated his threat with a sharp nip to the redhead's lower lip. "Now once more… who am I?"

"Aaaaaa~ Sebas-chan!" Grell moaned with reckless abandon, allowing himself to be swept away in fantasy.

William smirked again and raised himself off his lover to return to a sitting position straddling the redhead. William locked eyes with Grell as he slowly, tortuously slowly, took a finger of his glove between his teeth and pulled it off, it's mate soon following.

Grell could hardly stand it~! He wanted so badly to touch him, to pull him down to kiss him, to run his fingers through his raven locks, to remove his clothing until flesh met flesh. However the redhead could only watch helplessly as William teased him, pulling his gloves off agonizingly slowly. Grell whimpered and squirmed beneath his lover, trying in vain to give his aching erection some form of relief.

"Mmmmmmm… aren't you the wanton whore? So eager to be fucked. That _is_ what you want isn't it?" William murmured in a husky tone. He had no idea where all of this behavior was coming from, as he rarely ever used such course language, nor spoke much at all during intercourse. Playing this role however, William felt as though another side of himself had been set free. Suddenly he was thoroughly enjoying teasing and torturing his partner, savoring every moan and gasp. There was no thought of efficiency here, only sweet sinful pleasure. William met Grell's gaze with half lidded eyes as he sensually licked his index finger and then traced the wet digit down the redhead's neck to rest just above where his shirt was buttoned. "Do you want me to fuck you Mr. Grell?"

"Nnnng… yes~! Fuck me Sebas-chan~! _Plea~se_!" Grell shamelessly moaned, shivering as the saliva on his neck cooled in the night air.

William's eyes gained a menacing glint as he smirked and abruptly grabbed the collar of Grell's shirt on either side and yanked. Button's flew in all directions as the redhead's milky skin was exposed. William took a moment to appreciate his lover's flawless skin before roughly raking his nails down his chest, scraping and marring the tender flesh and leaving angry red marks in their wake.

Grell hissed and gasped in pleasure as William scratched him, the pain tingling in his chest and fanning out through his entire body. As William leaned down to attack the redhead's supple flesh with his tongue and teeth, Grell moaned in ecstasy. William's teeth soon found their way to a nipple, scraping and nipping the rosy bud while pinching mercilessly at the other. Grell arched his back into the abuse as waves of delicious pain washed over him.

"Sebas-chan… please… let me see you…" Grell panted, longing to see a glimpse of that perfect ivory skin always hidden beneath that uniform.

William raised and eyebrow as his smirk widened. "Hmmm perhaps I shall give you a peek… since you asked so nicely." he purred as he untied his tie and slid it off before removing his jacket and vest. William worked four shirt buttons free then stilled his hands. "Be a good girl and do as I say, and you may get to see the rest."

Grell couldn't help shivering in desire as William slowly removed his clothing. The redhead's cock was painfully hard and throbbing with need, arousal pooling in his groin as William referred to him with a feminine pronoun, something he normally would never do despite Grell's insistence. Grell groaned and bucked his hips in frustration, eager for the layers separating them to be removed. "Aaaa~ and what if I'm a _bad_ girl Sebas-chan, what will you do to me?" the redhead purred.

"Shall we find out?" William murmured as he reached down to Grell's straining arousal and squeezed him tightly through his trousers.

Grell cried out as Will gripped him, squeezing mercilessly before crawling off the redhead's hips. William leaned down and unbuttoned the fly of Grell's trousers while slowly pulling down the zipper with his teeth. After relieving some of the pressure on Grell's straining erection, his red lace panties tenting between his open fly, William peeled his lover's trousers off, sliding the pant legs over the redhead's crimson high heel shoes. With Grell's trousers off and William still holding a smooth ankle in his grip, he met the redhead's eyes and sensuously licked along the heal of Grell's shoe.

The whole bed seemed to be vibrating as Grell shook violently with desire. He had always hoped that he would find a wilder side to Will in the bedroom, but he had no idea~! Grell gasped and hissed, arching up to meet his lover's mouth as William descended upon the hem of his panties, nipping and scraping sensitive flesh with his teeth as he pulled the garment off.

Facing Grell's weeping erection, William felt a little trepidation. He had no qualms about pleasuring Grell orally, he just had never done it before. Grell typically seemed much more interested in William being inside of him to worry much about oral stimulation, but perhaps William had been wrong about that too? Grell certainly seemed eager now, squirming and whimpering as William's breath ghosted over him. He could always try, but he was fairly certain he would not only be rather bad at it to start, but he would most likely choke! That would certainly break character, for as loathe as William was to admit it, in the few times they had interacted, the filthy demon seemed to be perfect at anything he attempted. Suddenly an idea came to him. "Stay perfectly still… or I shall have to punish you" he purred before licking the pre-cum from the tip of Grell's cock.

Grell fought with the desires to do as his lover said, or misbehave and earn himself some punishment~! As Will licked and nipped at his member, teasing him out of his mind, Grell knew he wouldn't be able to hold out long regardless, so he might as well give in.

As he used his hands and mouth to tease his lover, William thought himself quite clever for not only avoiding any embarrassing mishaps due to his inexperience, but his teasing seemed to be driving Grell wild. As he took the head of Grell's arousal into his mouth and scraped him lightly with his teeth, he raked his fingernails across his lover's inner thighs. That was simply too much for Grell, the redhead moaning loudly and arching off the bed, nearly choking Will in the process.

Managing to recover without too much obvious distress, William snapped back up with fire in his eyes. "My you _are_ a bad girl. I do hope you are prepared for your punishment."

"Aaaaaaaa~ yes! _Yes_~!" Grell moaned, pulling uselessly at his restraints as he squirmed in excitement.

"As you wish." William whispered before unfastening his bulging trousers and finally releasing his aching erection. William felt he had been doing an admirable job ignoring his throbbing need up until this point, intent on pleasuring his lover, but now that he was free of his confines, William ached for release. Before Grell had time to react, William roughly grabbed the redhead's ankles and propped them on his shoulders. Without warning or preparation of any kind, William thrust deeply into Grell's tight entrance, groaning as his lover's heat surrounded him.

Grell arched up and lifted himself nearly off the bed, screaming as Will savagely buried himself inside him. As Will began to pound into him, holding nothing back, Grell cried out in rapture at the sweet mixture of pain and pleasure.

William grunted as he sped up his thrusts, the cries and moans spilling from his lovers lips driving him mad. Tightly gripping Grell's hip and digging his nails into the supple flesh, William reached up to pinch and tweek the redhead's nipple as he lifted Grell's hips and drove deeper inside.

Panting and moaning and shouting out in rapture, Grell could hardly breathe. Will relentlessly hammered into him again and again, his hands and nails teasing and scraping him, breaking the skin and making his flesh slick with blood. Grell wasn't sure he could take much more. "W-Sebas… aaaaaaaaa~ m-more… _yes_… fuck me… W-Wi~ll…" he breathed, not sure who he was meant to be begging anymore.

As William frantically thrust within Grell's tight passage, he really could care less what Grell called him. Sebastian… Will… the bloody Queen of England, as long as he kept moaning and squirming and panting… "F-fuck… Grell…" William ground out through clenched teeth as he gripped the redhead's neglected arousal and stroked feverishly as he pounded into Grell's heated body.

Grell tossed his head wildly and cried out as Will stroked him mercilessly, feeling intense waves of pleasure build and mount deep in his core before finally exploding. A feral scream ripped from Grell's throat as he came harder than he could ever recall, seeing stars and jerking his body off the mattress, his hot seed spilling onto his stomach.

William grit his teeth and thrust wildly into his spasming lover, gripping Grell's hips tight enough to bruise and slamming inside of him. As he met Grell's eyes, smoldering with so many emotions they all combined to form a burning inferno, William was caught in the blaze and thoroughly consumed. William came hard and shouted, surprised by the sheer force of his orgasm.

Bracing himself on his arms, William pulled out and shakily held himself above his lover as he panted and caught his breath, his eyes closed. As he reopened his eyes, he was floored by the look Grell gave him. He was still flushed and panting, thoroughly spent, his clothing ripped and bloodied and his hair in shambles… but it was his eyes that held William's attention. William stared wide eyed as Grell looked at him, completely sated, his half lidded eyes shining with… love. That was undoubtedly what it was, not lust or desire, but _love_. William's eyes softened as he leant down to softly kiss Grell before sitting up to unbind his hands.

As he freed Grell's hands, William placed a tender kiss on each wrist before releasing them. Grell used his newly free arms to pull his lover into a passionate kiss. He poured his feelings into the embrace, his apology for their fight, his gratitude for what Will had just done, his love for the other man. As they broke apart for air, Grell gently thread his fingers through Will's hair to rid it of the demon's hair style and reveal more of his lover's handsome features. Grell cupped either side of William's face and whispered, "Will, your eyes, change them back."

William's eyes widened marginally as he realized he hadn't done that yet. Closing his eyes momentarily, he felt them shift and opened his eyelids once more to be met with Grell's radiant smile.

"Mmmm much better~! As much as I love red, your eyes are the only things that I like better green" Grell happily purred.

William was positive that was the most ridiculously sappy and romantic thing that had ever come out of the redhead's mouth (which was quite a feat)… and he'd be damned if his heart didn't melt at the statement. "There's just _no_ pleasing you is there?" he asked with a fond smile as he claimed Grell's lips once more.

As they broke away, Grell giggled softly as he idly stroked a finger up and down Will's arm. "Oh Wi~ll! That was incredible~! I can't believe you did all that for me! It was perfect~! …but… you did forget one thing…"

William frowned as Grell declared he had missed something. He had taken great pains to make sure every element of his facade was completely accurate, so what on earth could be the problem? Grell pushed them both up into a sitting position and grasped Will's hand. Oh yes… the contract symbol. William frowned disapprovingly. He would change his hair and clothes, even his eyes, but putting a mockery of a cursed demon's contract on his hand was going too far. Honestly, hadn't all he'd done been enough?

Grell smiled mischievously and smeared a bit of blood from one of the many scrapes on his chest to paint a circle on William's hand. William's frown deepened. "Grell that's eno-" the redhead stopped him with a finger to his lips.

Inside the circle Grell drew a heart, and wrote the letter G inside. William breathed a sigh of relief that Grell was simply being Grell and not putting some vile demon's mark upon him. "You're contracted to me now William, so next time, you'll have to follow _my_ orders~!" the redhead said with a playful grin.

William's eyebrows raised a fraction. "Next time?" At the wicked look Grell was giving him, feeling arousal already beginning to stir within him once more, William smirked and replied, "Yes, my Lady."

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To be continued...


	5. Seeing Red

_This takes place sometime after "Compromise" and overlaps with at least some of "Because it's Wrong". Don't sweat the timeline too much, I know I don't XD_

_There's a fanart for this chapter, check it out on my profile page! =D  
_

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Seeing Red

It had all began with a toothbrush. It was a logical enough request. William put great importance in personal hygiene after all. He had found that sharing one's toothbrush, even with someone who's tongue had just been in his mouth (and other places besides), was a bit off putting. William hadn't been surprised in the least that the toothbrush was red. Frankly he would have been shocked had it _not_ been.

At first William's eye had twitched ever so slightly at the way the crimson article stood out in stark contrast against the clean sparkling white of his bathroom, but he supposed it rather matched it's owner, who couldn't help but stand out no matter where he went. With that in mind, William decided to overlook the splash of red marring his pristine washroom, telling himself it was only a toothbrush after all.

Next came the toothpaste. It was only natural of course. Grell certainly couldn't keep mooching off his lover's toothpaste forever, especially when he complained about the flavor. The redhead preferred cinnamon, predictably enough. It wasn't William's fault that Grell didn't appreciate Spearmint… which William absolutely refused to let anyone think was some sort of dreadful _personality quirk_ of his thank you very much! Spearmint would forever be the superior mint option, regardless of his purely coincidental surname. Though Grell _still_ giggled every time he saw him brush his teeth. _Honestly_.

Other toiletries soon followed, for much the same reasons. If Grell were to be spending evenings and mornings at his house and expected to bathe, it was the polite thing to do to provide his own products. Plus, Grell claimed his shampoo was _boring_. William reckoned he may have a point, considering he hadn't known shampoo came in any scent other than "shampoo". Soon fragrant concoctions like "Raspberry Rain" and "Strawberry Mango Passion" and other such nonsense lined the counter. William began to feel as though his bathroom had somehow turned into a posh ladies boutique, or perhaps a fruit stand, though he had to begrudgingly admit that Grell's hair did smell rather nice.

His bedroom had not escaped the encroaching wave of crimson either. Grell had an entire drawer, the _top_ drawer no less, to house a few choice garments. All of this was done out of practicality of course. If Grell spent the night with William and expected to go outdoors the next day, especially to work, it just wouldn't do to wear the previous day's clothing. William would not allow any activities he could be linked to (namely making love to Grell late into the night) to be the cause of the redhead coming in to work the next day looking rumpled and unkempt. It was strictly against dress code.

So William soon found himself with a drawer full of not only a few shirts, waistcoats and trousers, but some rather shocking lingerie and women's panties as well, all of them of course… red. William insisted that Grell's attempts at dressing in women's underclothes and seducing him were unnecessary, as William found the garments to be both confusing to remove and counter productive. William thought that Grell looked perfectly fine without any lacey frills adorning his body, but he could tell that it made Grell happy to wear them, so he played along as best he could and would only occasionally grow so frustrated with the seemingly endless straps and fasteners that he would just tear the whole thing off. Though Grell seemed to enjoy that very much as well…

Slowly William began to spot other inconsistencies in his somewhat blandly decorated home. One morning there was a red coffee mug in his cupboard (Grell had insisted it was his favorite and had brought it over), a week later a crimson throw blanket on the sofa (apparently William had an insufficient supply of blankets for the redhead). A picture frame, a corner lamp, dishes, towels… the list went on. As the weeks turned to months, William was sure he wasn't imagining the increasing frequency of crimson items that almost aggressively appeared in his home. Nearly every day he would spot something new, and wonder not only when it had gotten there, but _how_? Grell didn't even have a key! The redhead was by no means living with him, he had a flat of his own! A flat which William figured must be empty by now as his house steadily filled with red.

A few months into their relationship, William realized that Grell was most definitely trying to make a statement. William was never one for hints. Those kinds of passive aggressive games were often lost on him. One could get much better results by merely being direct. Grell finally seemed to realize this and sent a direct message… by painting William's living room red. Every piece of furniture was a variant of crimson, with a giant (and predominately red) oriental rug covering the hardwood floor. Upon stepping into his once soothingly plain living room, that William could now only describe as looking rather like some sort of hellish bordello (or at least how he imagined them to look), William silently vowed to never again give Grell a personal day off work if this is how he would spend it.

"Grell…" William growled, fighting valiantly to keep his rage in check, on the off chance Grell actually had a good reason for this… this… _honestly_!

"Oh you're home Will!" Grell excitedly squealed, apparently completely unfazed by William's murderous tone. The redhead pranced out of the kitchen wearing a short red apron over a cocktail dress and licking what appeared to be cake batter off a whisk. _Red_ cake batter.

"Grell, what is the meaning of this?" William ground out through clenched teeth as he indicated his crimson surroundings.

"What?" Grell licked the whisk again as he regarded his lover with wide innocent eyes. "I'm just keeping a few things here. You said it was all right."

"A _few_ things Grell! Not an entire _house_ worth! Where is my furniture? And why are the walls RED?"

"The sofa and chairs are _yours_ darling~! I just used some slip covers to liven up the place! And I think the walls look lovely~! What's wrong with red?" Grell explained, pouting and absently curling his long crimson hair around a finger as he asked William about his dislike of the new wall color.

"N-nothing is _wrong_ with it! But this… this is _my_ house Grell! You can't just make these kinds of decisions on your own! If you felt the living room should be painted red, then you should have brought it up with me and we could have discussed it!" William incredulously replied.

Grell smirked wickedly as William apparently said just what he had been hoping to hear. "I thought you'd like it! Though I suppose you're right, if this were _our_ home, I certainly would have discussed this sort of thing with you. But seeing as how I'm just _visiting_… _every_ night… I guess my surprise gift for you was out of line. Sorry" the redhead finished, grinning smugly and not sounding sorry in the least.

William glared at his stubborn lover. So that was what this was all about. Grell wanted to be a more substantial part of his life. A _partner_, rather than a guest visiting his bed. Seeing it that way, William could almost understand his lover forcing more and more red into his life until he got the message… _almost_. Still… the entire living room? William adjusted his glasses and sighed in defeat. "I'll have another key made tomorrow Grell. We can keep _some_ of the red, but please not every item in the room. And you will repaint the living room the way it was!"

Instead of being pleased as William imagined he would be, Grell stood his ground and crossed his arms. "Fine, but I get to keep a red accent wall!"

William rubbed the bridge of his nose. "_Fine_… but it will be a wall of my choosing."

That compromise seemed to please Grell well enough as the redhead brightened up and flung himself at William, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him passionately. William determined that the cake the redhead was making was likely to be quite delicious, if his lover managed not to burn it.

Despite his less than favorable surroundings, William somehow managed a small smile when faced with Grell's brightly smiling features as they pulled away for air. "Well I suppose we'd better start advertising to sell your flat." William sighed.

"Oh Will, I sold my flat _ages_ ago~! It will be so much easier to get in now with a key though! I was running low on bobby pins" Grell cheekily replied, giggling as he turned and pranced back into the kitchen, leaving a stunned William in his wake. Grell returned shortly holding a slightly charred meatloaf with a ketchup heart painted on the top. "Now that we're living together and I'm basically your wife, I've always wanted to say… Dinner, a bath… or me?" Grell purred mischievously.

Sold his flat… ages ago… with bobby pins… _wife_. Honestly. William felt as though he had somehow just gotten a lot more than he bargained for with this new arrangement. "Dinner, you, then a bath." He said matter-of-factly, never one to beat around the bush.

"Oh~! How about _me_ again _in_ the bath?" Grell asked as he shivered excitedly.

William raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps if you behave yourself."

"Aaaaaaaaaaa~!"

Grell promptly deposited the meatloaf on the table, grabbed William's tie and forcefully drug him into the bedroom. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, when will you learn to follow simple instructio-" he began to ask before being cut off by the his lover's tongue being shoved down his throat. As William found himself pushed onto his (now _their)_ thankfully still non-crimson bed with the taste of sweet cake batter lingering on Grell's tongue, William figured he could allow himself dessert before dinner just this once.

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To be continued...


	6. Cut Off

_First of all, thank you so sooooo much to everyone who has reviewed/faved etc. this and any of my others fics! It really makes my day that people are reading and enjoying my work! I hope I can keep living up to your expectations :D_

_So this started out going one direction and kind of wrote itself going somewhere else. I'm oddly fond of it anyway though. And yes, in case you're wondering, there are in fact women like this. Silly Grell._

_Perianatdagnir drew a fanart for this chapter! Check out the link on my profile page!  
_

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Cut Off

As William stood at the laundry sink up to his elbows in suds, he came to the conclusion that something really _had_ to be done. This was the 5th pillowcase he had washed this month, and it was only the 4th day of the month! Two of his pajama tops had also been casualties to the scourge plaguing their linens. Namely… Grell's makeup.

It wasn't that William _minded_ his lover wearing makeup, it was almost as much a part of him as his bright crimson hair. As long as the cosmetics didn't detrimentally effect Grell's work or home life with him, William was perfectly content to let the redhead wear whatever he pleased… as long as it was within the dress code. Makeup was of course only permitted in the _women's_ dress code, but William had always known when to pick his battles with the stubborn redhead.

Lately however, Grell's penchant for makeup _had_ begun to affect their home life. William was becoming truly baffled by the fact that his lover seemed unwilling to even _sleep_ without makeup! He knew that Grell had always had a few odd quirks, and he was bound to uncover more as their relationship developed, but to wear makeup to bed! William had tolerated it at first, assuming that Grell merely didn't want to remove it because he didn't have any cosmetics at William's home to reapply in the morning.

When the redhead moved in however, William's theory was proven incorrect as Grell not only had plenty of makeup to wear the next day, but would actually use said makeup to touch up his appearance right before bed! After countless mascara and lipstick smeared pillowcases and pajama tops, all washed by William of course, his battle had been chosen. _Honestly, as soon as Grell gets home I'm going to give him a piece of my mi-_

"Wi~ll! I'm home~! …where are you?" Grell called out cheerfully before pouting as his lover wasn't there immediately to shower him with affection… not that William made a practice of doing that in the first place, but the redhead could always dream.

"In the laundry room." William called back in a slightly irritated tone.

The redhead quickly rounded a corner and smiled widely before launching himself at his lover. Instead of meeting Will's lips in a passionate kiss, Grell found himself staring down a wet pillowcase the taller man had held up to block the assault.

"What do you think this is Grell?" William asked, much in the way a teacher would ask a particularly slow child.

Grell understandably raised an eyebrow in confusion. "…a pillow case?"

"Yes, the 5th one I've had to wash this month. This is getting ridiculous Grell Sutcliff!"

Grell knew that tone, and the use of his full name was a dead giveaway. Will was in supervisor mode. Wondering what he could have possibly done this time, Grell hesitantly replied, "Um… sorry but… what's ridiculous? Keeping the pillowcases clean?"

"It is ridiculous that we have to wash them every night because of your insistence on wearing makeup to bed! And by _we_ I of course mean _I_ have to wash them, seeing as how I have yet to witness _you_ doing it." William ground out in frustration.

"Well it's not my fault you keep assigning me overtime so I don't have time to do laundry!" Grell gasped indignantly.

"No Grell Sutcliff, it is in fact _your_ fault that you keep _earning_ yourself overtime! However, the issue here is not how much time you have or do not have for household chores. This can and will be easily remedied by you simply washing off your makeup before you come to bed."

Grell pouted and grumbled, "...earning overtime… you'd think sleeping with the boss would count for _something_…"

"_What_ was that Grell Sutcliff?"

"N-nothing!" The redhead's eyes widened marginally at Will's dangerous tone before he smiled sweetly and tried for a new plan of attack. Batting his long false eyelashes, Grell took a step toward his lover and ran a hand teasingly up Will's arm before laying it to rest behind his neck. Leaning toward his bristling partner, Grell whispered seductively, "But Wi~ll, I just want to look beautiful for you~!"

William glared at Grell's attempt to dodge the conversation. "I'm sure that you look more than sufficient without makeup. Furthermore, I can't imagine that you wore makeup to sleep when you lived alone, so I am certain you are capable of removing it. It will save both time and laundry soap, as well as frustration on my part. I have made a great many changes to my own life since we entered into this relationship Grell Sutcliff, and I feel it is time you do the same. Honestly, this is a simple request that I must insist on, and I will not be joining you in bed until you comply." William punctuated the statement by tossing the wet pillowcase over Grell's head and walking away. "And please do finish up that pillowcase."

Grell could only stand in stunned silence as the soaked cloth slid down his face and fell to the floor in a wet heap. The sloshing noise seemed to wake him from his shock, as he replied indignantly, "Will~! Are… are you… _cutting me off_?"

Turning around to face his lover once more, William raised an eyebrow and dryly replied, "Yes, yes I do believe that term would be appropriate", before turning away once more and continuing into the living room.

Grumbling and glaring at Will's retreating form, Grell rolled up his sleeves and finished the laundry.

XOXOXOX

Dinner and the rest of the evening was spent in near silence as William remained somewhat peeved at his stubborn lover. All the while Grell was trying to weigh his options. He could just refuse. It's not as though Will would tie him down and scrub his makeup off… though then again… if it involved being tied up and manhandled… Grell could almost be on board with that idea…

But no, Will had made it quite clear that no kinky fun of any kind was to be had if Grell insisted on wearing makeup tonight. Grell bit his lip as his soul writhed in turmoil. Will thought it was so easy… but it was so _embarrassing_ to be seen by a handsome man without his face on~! What would Will think when he saw Grell's thin lips, his pale complexion, his short stubby eyelashes! What if Will didn't want him anymore?

Before Grell knew it, the time was upon him. They had work tomorrow, and like clockwork, Will was preparing himself for bed at 10 o'clock sharp. As Will put on those terribly unflattering striped flannel pajamas he seemed so fond of, Grell slipped into the bathroom and locked the door. Taking a steadying breath, Grell raised a washcloth in his slightly trembling hand and proceeded to remove his makeup.

As he glimpsed his dull and lifeless features, looking naked and raw and completely unappealing, Grell dreaded opening the door. Will would be disgusted~! Grell seriously contemplated just curling up in the bathtub for tonight to avoid the shame of Will seeing him without his face on, when his lover's slightly irritated voice interrupted his thoughts as it floated through the door.

"Grell, what is taking you so long? Come to bed."

It seemed it was now or never. Grell shut off the light and creaked the door open a fraction. Placing both hands over his face, leaving only a small gap between his fingers to see, Grell rushed toward the bed and leapt beneath the covers, pulling them completely over his head. "Goodnight Will" Grell mumbled, hoping his lover would leave him be as he turned away and curled up into a tight ball.

William raised an eyebrow at his lover's antics. Honestly, this was overly dramatic, even for Grell. Sighing heavily and rubbing the bridge of his nose, William spoke in a tone that only conveyed about half the annoyance he felt, as his limited relationship experience told him this was a delicate situation. "Honestly Grell, it can't be that bad. Just show me your face and you'll see you have nothing to worry about."

"I look _awful_ without makeup on~! I'm too embarrassed for you to see~!" Mumbled Grell, or at least William was fairly certain that was what the redhead had said through the blankets.

"Grell you are being ridiculous. You know I don't care in the least about things like makeup or clothing. You are worrying over nothing and I'm sure you'll feel rather silly once this is over. Now just let me see. Trust me."

_Trust me._ If not for those two words Grell would have been content to let Will try to talk him into it until he was blue in the face. _Trust me._ Grell bit his lip. Of course he trusted Will… he would trust Will with his life… with his heart… when he thought about it that way, it did seem a bit silly to not trust him with this as well. Burrowing out from under the blankets, Grell sat up with his hands still blocking his naked features. As he peaked through his fingers at his lover, Will reached up to remove Grell's hands from their position blocking the redhead's face.

Will didn't look repulsed or horrified, which Grell saw as a good sign, but instead just stared at him. It was quite unnerving, being under his lover's intense scrutiny, and Grell was unable to keep his gaze, the redhead's eyes fluttering downward as an embarrassed blush painted his pale cheeks.

It was more fascinating than William could have imagined to see Grell this way. He looked much the same, yet somehow completely different. He looked muted somehow, subdued, the color pallet of his features no longer vivid and lively, but calm and natural. Without the various shades of foundation and blush softening his features, his cheeks and jaw looked sharper and more defined. His lips were thinner without lipstick artificially plumping them, and his eyelashes were of normal length and dark auburn in color. As William continued to take in his lover's altered appearance, he began to notice just how uncomfortable Grell seemed to be, blushing and unable to meet his eyes, his lips turned down with displeasure.

William figured that this was one of those instances when a compliment was in order. Flattery had never been his strong suit, as William's praise was often hard earned. He supposed Grell had earned it though, since this had clearly been very hard for him. What to say however was the question… he wasn't exactly _beautiful_ like this… though he certainly wasn't awful or hideous as Grell had insisted… far from it… he was… "rather… handsome."

As Grell's eyebrows shot up in horror, William realized two things. One… he had apparently said that last bit out loud, and two… it had apparently been the wrong thing to say. Grell whimpered in embarrassment and hid his features once more as he simultaneously kicked his lover out of bed, throwing a pillow at him as he was sent stumbling toward the door.

"Oh honestly Grell, I didn't mean it badly! You look perfectly fine! Now stop this fooli-"

"I don't want to look_ handsome_~!" he spit the word as if it were the foulest insult. Grell pouted from behind his shield and continued in a melancholy tone, "I want to be _beautiful_… what's wrong with that?"

William rubbed his temple as he felt a headache brewing. He realized his comment (however well meaning) had put his lover in such a state, but it was getting late, and William was not in the business of coddling anyone… Grell included. "Grell this is ridiculous! I already told you, you look perfectly fine! Now calm down and let's just go to sleep!"

"Either I get to put makeup on right now or you're sleeping on the couch!" Grell insisted through the hands covering his face.

"If you put on makeup, I'm sleeping on the couch regardless, so I'd rather you leave it off, as I'd rather not wash another pillowcase. Goodnight Grell." William sighed frustratedly before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Honestly, Grell was bound to get over this eventually… at least William hoped that would be the case as he settled on the cold and uncomfortable sofa for the night.

XOXOXOX

Throughout the next day William gave Grell just enough affection to indicate that while he wasn't _angry_ with him, he wasn't exactly pleased either. While William refused to grovel and sweet talk his lover until he was happy again, it would be counterproductive to make the redhead so unhappy that he wouldn't _want_ William back in bed with him. Grell seemed to be treading on eggshells, not quite sure what to do as evening approached.

When night fell, William settled on the couch, ready to read a bit and wind down for the evening, when Grell made his appearance. He had gone all out. Revealing lingerie, high heal shoes, stockings and garters, his features outfitted with a wicked grin… and copious amounts of makeup. The redhead sashayed over to stand behind his seated lover and draped himself over his shoulders, hands caressing his chest as he huskily whispered in his ear. "Come to bed Will… I won't be taking off my makeup… so I guess you'll just have to punish me~!"

Turning the page and utterly ignoring his lover's heated breath on his ear, William dryly responded. "There is no need for punishment Grell Sutcliff. It is your choice whether or not I come to bed. Either the makeup or my company, you may only have one this or any other evening."

Grell huffed in frustration as he pouted and replied, "Well you don't get my company _without_ makeup~!"

"Then I suppose we are at an impasse", was William's deadpan response. "Goodnight Grell." he finished, turning off the lamp and signaling an end to their conversation.

With each successive night, Grell would ramp up his attempts to seduce William into ending his sexual strike. Apparently Grell had forgotten that William had spent his fair share of time denying his attraction to the flirtatious redhead. William merely sat down on his sofa-turned-bed with a book and a brandy… and settled in for the long haul.

For the first several nights Grell had stuck with the old standby of scandalous women's lingerie. William nearly scoffed and rolled his eyes, as he had flat out told his lover several times that while he was not necessarily _opposed_ to Grell wearing such garments in the privacy of their bedroom, they did little to excite him. Honestly, William would probably be more interested if Grell bypassed the superfluous frills and lace and simply wore nothing at all.

Of course he tried that next. It was the forth night since William had cut his lover off, and Grell decided that nudity was a sure fire way to end the stalemate. Ironically enough, the only thing Grell wore was of course… makeup. As his lover posed provocatively and beckoned him over, William merely raised his book to block the vile temptress from view, a faint blush staining his cheeks and a frown gracing his lips.

After that, Grell finally got wise and started employing a much more subtle, much more dangerous method. He suddenly dropped his overly flirtatious and pushy demeanor and instead quietly spent time with William that evening before bed. He poured himself a small brandy and curled up on the opposite side of the couch in his crimson throw blanket, a content smile on his features and a Shakespeare play in his hands. As the evening wore on, and William's brandy slowly diminished, Grell seemed to inch ever closer until he was fairly plastered to his lover's side. Grell simply laid there and traced the lines of his rather relaxed lover's striped pajamas with his finger tip. Then a light kiss was placed on William's jaw… then another on his neck. Before William realized what was happening, his book had somehow been abandoned on the floor, his hands finding a much better home on Grell's thighs, which were currently straddling him as the redhead kissed him passionately.

William was nearly defeated, a soft moan escaping his lips as his lover shifted and rubbed torturously against his growing arousal, had he not opened his eyes. Instead of Grell's beautiful emerald eyes, William was met with black smears streaking across his field of vision. It was Grell's damned mascara on his glasses! Growling at how close Grell had gotten to victory, William promptly shoved the redhead off his lap and onto the floor. Looking away from the pleading lustful look William _knew_ Grell was giving him, he adjusted his glasses and spoke in a strained voice. "Goodnight Grell." Standing up stiffly he made his way to the washroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Leaning against the door, William worked to calm his breathing and bring himself under control. Though everyone seemed to believe differently, no doubt due to his cold and professional demeanor on the job, William really was no different from anyone else. He had a sense of humor (dry and out of touch though it may be), he occasionally laughed and smiled, or cried and felt pain. It was only natural of course, that he also felt desire.

Of course he loved Grell for more than his body. For some reason, against his will and better judgment, William found some sort of perverse _charm_ in his lover's ridiculous antics, the way the redhead never ceased to surprise him, the way Grell always seemed happy to be around him. When you live forever, it is truly a rarity to find someone that makes each day exciting and worth looking forward too.

However, William's reaction to the redhead's body couldn't be discounted either. William always felt crass ruminating on his physical attraction to Grell, it just wasn't something one thought of in polite society. On the other hand, logic told William that for a healthy intimate relationship to function, both partners must be physically attracted to one another. There was no question Grell found him attractive, as he had been basically shouting it from the rooftops daily for decades now. However, that attraction was most definitely not one sided.

After becoming intimate with Grell, William was shocked at how much he truly enjoyed it. He had never been one for much physical contact, always embarrassed and uncomfortable when someone got too close. But as he slowly became accustomed to Grell kissing him, touching him, the more he found himself craving it. Though he wasn't _human_, William's body worked very similarly. Shinigami needed sleep, felt hunger… and when William's lover caressed and kissed him… he naturally became aroused. Just because he had traditionally shown more restraint when it came to his carnal desires than his subordinates seen to be able to, William was so stranger to the more base needs of his body. Nor was he unaware of the fact that his partner was just outside that door, ready and willing to see to those needs...

Honestly, Grell was being incredibly stubborn! It wasn't as if William had asked him never to wear makeup again, just not to bed! There was nothing unreasonable about that and William would be damned if he gave in… though this week had been more difficult than he could have ever imagined. Apparently now that he knew how good Grell could make him feel, how wonderful it felt to have a warm body pressed against him, how much he loved waking up each morning with Grell beside him, it was ten times harder to resist the redhead's wiles. Hell, even those damned lingerie were starting too look good…

William lightly hit the back of his head on the solid door he was leaning against in frustration. Grell had a long and illustrious history of doggedly insisting on something until he got his way, but not this time! William was certain his lover would crack soon… just a few more days. _Surely I can hold out that long._ Looking down at his tented flannel pajama bottoms, William sighed in irritation. _Honestly._

William determinedly strode to the shower and turned the tap on full cold.

XOXOXOX

The next day Grell seemed unusually quiet, as if he were pondering his next move. William could only pray he wasn't thinking up something too ridiculous to try and seduce him. That night William waited on pins and needles, but the door never opened, nor did it the next night. William wasn't sure whether this was progress… or if he should be concerned.

Finally on the eighth night of their sexual embargo, the bedroom door creaked open, and William held his breath. What on earth had Grell been planning for two nights? Would he try to get him to come to bed again… or was he angry with him? William suddenly wondered for a fleeting moment if he should summon his deathscythe, just in case, when he heard a subdued and defeated voice emit from his lover. "Please… just come to bed Will."

William raised an eyebrow at his lover's meek tone and turned around to look toward the bedroom. He was shocked to see Grell standing in the doorway, looking down forlornly with his bangs covering most of his makeup-free face. Though what truly surprised William even more, was Grell's choice of evening wear. Instead of the usual skimpy and revealing fair the redhead had been choosing these past several nights, Grell was outfitted in none other than one of William's pairs of striped flannel pajamas.

Grell's slouched posture showed he was positively miserable in the ill fitting pajamas, the sleeves and pant legs a tad too long, the bottoms riding low on his slender hips and the neck line hanging down and exposing a bit of his shoulder. William knew full well that Grell was not terribly fond of his choice in sleepwear, often scoffing and telling him he could easily pull off something sexier, as if William cared about such nonsense. So why on earth was Grell dressed this way? Well whatever the reason, at least he wasn't wearing makeup, even though everything about him radiated the desire to put some on. Honestly, what would it take to make Grell realize that William would want him regardless of what he did or did not wear on his face or body?

Setting down his book, William rose from his seat and approached his lover. Since his attempt at a compliment had horribly backfired last time, but the redhead clearly needed some kind of reassurance, William decided perhaps the most direct approach would be best. Gently gripping Grell's chin, William lifted the redhead's hidden features and softly kissed his unpainted lips. William had always thought actions spoke louder than words, and Grell seemed satisfied with his statement as he smiled ever so slightly and lightly blushed.

Deciding to simply leave it at that an focus on something besides Grell's lack of makeup, which really had been made into a much larger issue than was necessary, William smirked almost imperceivably as his curiosity got the better of him. "I must admit, I'm surprised by your choice in sleep wear this evening."

Grell frowned again and lowered his eyes, as if remembering he was supposed to be depressed. "Yes well… I don't exactly feel very sexy at the moment… so…"

William raised an eyebrow, "Grell Sutcliff, are you trying to imply that my pajamas are not sexy?"

That brought the desired result of making Grell giggle softly. Grinning ever so slightly up at his lover, Grell responded, "Well… let's just say I'm not sure these were designed with seduction in mind."

"Mmmmmm I don't know…" William murmured as his hand's circled his lover's waist, his fingers finding their way under the pajama top to caress the smooth skin of Grell's lower back. "…they seem to be working on me." He whispered into the redhead's ear as he slipped one hand underneath the waistband of the flannel bottoms to brush his fingertips across Grell's tailbone. "I'm rather liking you in flannel. It's so simple, economical… efficient." William whispered… as playfully as he dared.

It came out rather awkwardly, as playfulness was not something he was generally accustomed too, but it seemed to make Grell smile, and that was William's only goal at the moment. William nearly groaned as he breathed in the scent of Grell's freshly washed hair and skin, felt the warmth radiating from his lover's body… well, perhaps not his _only_ goal…

Grell giggled and buried his blushing face in his lover's chest. "Oh Will~! I love it when you talk dirty to me~!" he laughingly replied.

William smiled into Grell's soft hair as the redhead giggled and shivered under his attentions, his discomfort apparently finally fading. "Let's go to bed Grell. It's been over a week, and I do believe we have some catching up to do. In fact… I regret to inform you that all of that stubborn behavior of yours has earned you some overtime this evening."

Grell grinned up at William mischievously, at last seemingly back to his old self, a rosy blush painting his cheeks a more lovely shade than any cosmetic ever could.

* * *

To be continued...


	7. Tangles

_These seem to be getting longer don't they... and wildly switching genres mid-drabble XD Well... I suppose life can switch genres on you rather quickly as well ;) This is kinda for __PetiteFee24 who asked for a sick/injured Grell being taken care of by Will… though I'm not sure this is what she had in mind XD I have actually been tossing around versions of this chapter for months, but I think I've got it sorted out now! This is also kinda for Ann-chan, who's William inspired an important part of this chapter. Oh yeah, and in my head!canon, Alan and Eric are always alive. Always! Because they are awesome and I need more shinigami to play with!_

_OMG someone drew a fanart for this chapter! *flails wildly* Check my profile for the link! =D_

* * *

Tangles

"Wiiiiiiii~ll!"

William clenched his teeth as Grell whined his name yet again, no doubt wanting him to do some other simple task that the redhead was more than capable of doing himself. Honestly, he really was being impossible! Grell had been injured earlier in the work day, and while William would have been slightly more sympathetic to his lover's plight had it been a legitimate work related injury in the field, that was not the case…

XOXOXOX

When Ronald had burst through his office door in a panic that morning, yelling that Grell had been hurt, William couldn't help the worry that flickered across his features as he ran after his young subordinate. How hurt was he? Had there been an accident with a deathscythe? Was Grell alright? William's mind raced with every conceivable possibility, his pessimistic nature ensuring that each scenario was more dire than the last, as they skidded around the corner and into the large room housing his subordinate's cubicles. When faced with the chaotic scene, William thought perhaps he hadn't considered _every_ conceivable possibility…

Grell stood amidst a veritable mountain of desks, chairs and various other office supplies, his lips trembling and his eyes tearing up seemingly on cue as William came on the scene. William was immediately bombarded with hurried (and tearful on Grell's end) explanations from Grell, Ronald, Alan and Eric. Deciphering the jumble, it seemed that in the hour and a half since the work day had begun, Grell and Ronald had grown bored with simply doing their jobs and instead started up a friendly discussion, which had somehow become a bet, which had _somehow_ lead to the two of them competing to see who could make a taller tower out of… office furniture? _Honestly_. Alan and Eric were to judge and declare a winner, naturally.

Unsurprisingly, Grell's structural engineering prowess was no where near as impressive as his ability for procrastinating his work with ridiculous stunts such as this. The result being several hundred Pounds worth of damaged office furniture, 47 minutes (and counting) wasted, and Grell's arm bending in a direction William was certain it was not meant to bend. William wondered for a fleeting moment what on earth could have happened to make all of his subordinates such idiots, but then thought perhaps he was better off not knowing.

As Grell tearfully flung himself at William, no doubt intent on reaping some sympathy affection from his lover, William swiftly brought out his deathscythe and whipped it toward the redhead. Grell stared cross eyed at the blade poised centimeters from his nose as William interrupted whatever ridiculous sob story the redhead was about to unleash. "Grell Sutcliff, you will report to the infirmary at once to have your injury seem to, then you will come straight back to work. The rest of you, put this office back in order at once! Don't worry about how far behind that will no doubt put you on your paperwork, as you will all have a chance to catch up during overtime tonight!"

William rubbed the bridge of his nose at the predictable cries of outrage. "But we weren't even participating!" Eric exclaimed, indicating himself and Alan.

"You may not have been _competing_ with the idiots, but not only were you allowing it, you were going to _judge_! You condoned their reckless behavior, so your inaction is an equal offence to their's in this instance!"

"But senpai! It was a… um… a team building exercise! Yeah!" Ronald added hopefully.

"Oh I see. Well then Ronald Knox, since this proved so _successful_, you should be delighted to have another chance to strengthen your teamwork when all four of you are in overtime tonight!"

"Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii~ll! I can't do paperwork! My arm is broken~!" Grell whined pathetically in a last ditch attempt to escape his punishment.

"Then count yourself fortunate you have another arm Grell Sutcliff! Now you lot have already wasted far too much time with this nonsense, so back to work!" William finished sternly, turning on his heal and marching determinedly back to his office.

XOXOXOX

Upon Grell's arrival home that evening, it became apparent that William's hopes of anything actually being accomplished by his subordinates for the rest of the day were in vain. They had seemingly found it a better use of their time to decorate Grell's cast.

When Grell had slipped into William's office sometime after lunch and tried (unsuccessfully) yet again to get out of overtime, he had come away with the consolation prize of his lover reluctantly writing a message on the bandages wrapping his arm. William thought the whole thing was ridiculous, as with their accelerated healing Grell would likely be as good as new in a few days, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to write a quick "Get well soon" before shooing the redhead away.

Apparently that simple message had opened the flood gates of slacking off amongst his subordinates. It appeared that one of them had seen fit to alter his message. William suspected Eric was the culprit, knowing for a fact he had forged a few of Alan's papers when he had been ill. Eric had very convincingly copied his superior's handwriting to continue his previously innocent message to now read, "Get well soon... so I can fuck the living daylights out of you Grell Sutcliff, honestly." It seemed that Eric was in want of more overtime.

Ronald seemed to feel the need to illustrate Eric's idea with cartoon figures of Grell and William in very _compromising_ positions… and was that… he had drawn that wretched demon on there as well! There was also a rather curious drawing of Ronald himself kissing a female version of Grell, which seemed to make the redhead overly pleased. William glared and made a mental note to give Ronald extra overtime as well.

Alan seemed to be the only sensible one, drawing some beautiful and tasteful red roses up the side of the cast. They seemed to cheer Grell up just as much as the wall of cartoon pornography, and Alan rose a bit in William's esteem. He then noticed a small message written below the flowers. "Don't let William senpai be too rough with you tonight!" There was even a winking smiley face. William added another name to his mental list of overtime recipients.

XOXOXOX

And so it was that Grell was finally home from his fruitless overtime, outfitted with an incredibly obnoxiously decorated cast, and whining even more than usual. The redhead begged for help with even the simplest of tasks, such as dressing himself and eating, even going so far as asking William to not only cut his food, but feed it to him as well. Grell insisted it was supposed to be romantic, though William was much more inclined to _romantically_ remind his lover that he still had a perfectly functioning arm with which to do 90% of the tasks he claimed to require help with. Honestly, Grell had brought this on himself with his reckless behavior, and now he would have to live with the consequences.

Though as William noticed Grell putter about that evening, struggling to do simple tasks and wincing when automatically trying to use his injured arm… something strange happened. William felt an intense desire to… help him.

It wasn't unusual for William to feel the desire to help someone. He had always considered himself a gentleman and a team player, always willing to lend a hand when necessary. When it came to problems caused by carelessness and stupidity however, William was unforgiving. The strict dispatch manager had always been of the belief that suffering a bit would help the foolish individual learn from their mistakes through pain, and come away stronger and wiser as a result. With Grell however, it suddenly didn't seem as simple as that.

The redhead had just finished bathing, another task William was convinced Grell was perfectly capable of managing alone, despite the hisses of pain he heard emanating from the washroom that tugged at his heart no matter how hard he tried to tune them out. William repeated an internal mantra that this was entirely Grell's own fault he was in such pain, but somehow it just wasn't convincing him as it usually did.

At present, Grell was attempting to put on a pair of William's pajamas. Despite Grell's insistence on flannel's apparent lack of sex appeal, the redhead had taken to wearing them occasionally when he wasn't feeling well, as even he couldn't deny that they were more comfortable than the satin and lace nighties he typically favored. Apparently Grell had given up asking for William's help, as every one of his previous requests had fallen on unsympathetic ears. As William watched his lover pout and huff in frustration as he tried to button the top button one handed for the third time, wincing as he instinctively tried to use his other arm to help, William had seen enough.

Raising from his chair and quickly crossing the room with an irritated glare, William swatted Grell's hand away and quickly buttoned up the pajama top. "Honestly…" he sighed with exasperation, a frown upon his lips.

Then William made the fatal flaw of looking up from his handy work to glance at his lover. Grell was staring back at him, looking completely and utterly stunned. A smile found it's way onto Grell's lips as his eyes filled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you Will." He whispered, a blush spreading over his cheeks.

William felt his face heat up as Grell looked at him with such honest admiration. _Did such a simple gesture really mean that much to him? _"Oh honestly, don't look at me like that! It simply looked as though you needed assistance. I… that is… nevermind!" William sputtered awkwardly, embarrassed that he had been caught going soft on the idiotic redhead.

His lover's sudden shyness only served to make Grell's smile widen. Will would be simply _appalled_ if he ever realized what a sweetheart he really was. Grell leaned up to kiss his partner's blushing cheek as he passed him and headed back to the bathroom, intent on fetching his comb to tame his crimson locks.

William was irritated. At Grell of course for injuring himself, and in the most ridiculous of fashions no less, but mostly he was irritated at himself for being so weak as to give in to Grell's whimpering. Honestly, perhaps the pain of the injury would teach Grell something, but not if William intervened and prevented him from experiencing that pain! The whole situation was endlessly frustrating!

William cared about Grell as he did all his employees. He wanted him to be stronger, better, more prepared in case the worst were to happen. They couldn't afford to lose anyone, being as understaffed as they were.

Though in Grell's case, William also cared very much about him… in the way a lover would. He wanted Grell to feel happy, comfortable and safe. William had actually begun to wince himself whenever he saw pain flicker across the redhead's features. This kind of concern was altogether foreign to him, and frankly he found the whole thing to be terribly confusing.

Should he let Grell deal with the consequences of his foolish actions, as his mind adamantly told him was the correct course of action? Or should he follow his heart's advice, which sounded much like a single voice at the back of a crowded room, barely there, but doggedly persistent and demanding to be heard? A voice that told him to hold his lover and do anything he could to take his pain away. William honestly didn't know.

As William's internal battle raged on, Grell returned with his comb and set about attempting to rid his crimson mane of the many tangles it had obtained during the washing and towel drying of his hair. Grell clenched his teeth and readied himself for pain as he drug the comb through the snarled mass, a whimper escaping his lips as he almost immediately hit a tangle and heard fragile strands snapping. Without using his other hand to hold his long locks further up, the task proved not only to be incredibly painful, but monumentally damaging to his hair~! Under normal circumstances Grell could thoroughly appreciate the pain caused by a bit of hair pulling (especially in the bedroom~!), but as he was already feeling miserable with his arm bound up and aching, the feel of his hair tugging and snapping on the brittle comb was less than pleasant. Glaring at the plastic comb as if it would somehow apologize and start behaving properly, Grell realized he only had one option.

Pinning all his hopes on the fleeting moment of pity and concern Will had shown him earlier, Grell turned pleading eyes toward his lover. Will was sitting hunched on the sofa with his elbows braced on his knees, his gaze fixed downward on his hands, seemingly lost in thought. Grell hesitantly approached his pensive lover and daintily cleared his throat. "Um… Will… can you help me with my hair?"

Jerking his head up in mild surprise as Grell interrupted his thoughts, William frowned at the redhead's request. "Surely you can manage to comb your hair by yourself Grell. Honestly, need I remind you again that you still have a perfectly functioning arm at your disposal?" Yes, that was the correct response. William T. Spears coddled no one, lover or not.

"But Will, I need both ha-"

Grell's voice was gaining a whine, as well as an edge of desperation, which William was determined to put a stop to right here and now. "No 'buts' Grell Sutcliff! You brought this entirely upon yourself and you deserve any pain or difficulty your injury results in!"

Grell felt the strong urges to both cry and kick his lover in the genitals, but managed to do neither as the light left his eyes to be replaced with hurt. "Fine. Sorry to bother you William." The redhead replied coldly, his voice trembling ever so slightly with emotion as he turned on his heal to return to the chair in the dinning room he was previously stationed in. Taking a deep breath, Grell resumed his self inflicted torture.

As Grell hissed and whimpered from the nearby dinning room, William clenched is eyes shut tightly in the completely illogical hope that he would stop hearing his lover's pained exclamations. William winced as he actually heard the sound of hair ripping as Grell yelped. "Oh honestly Grell! Now you're just trying to get attention!"

"Oh _now_ you can hear me can you? Because just a moment ago I was _trying_ to tell you that to comb long hair you need _two_ hands Will!" Grell angrily called back as a tear brought about by pain and frustration slid down his cheek.

William's mouth flew open to retort, only to snap shut again when he realized he couldn't exactly refute Grell's claim. He himself had certainly never worn his hair even close to Grell's length, perhaps he really did need assistance.

Though even if Grell _didn't_ truly need his help, that single voice at the back of the crowded room of William's consciousness was screaming at the top of his lungs what a bastard William was for making his lover cry. William would have liked to argue that the pain was probably also a contributing factor of the redhead's tears, but somehow that didn't make him feel the least bit better.

Sighing in defeat, William marched into the dinning room and snatched the comb from Grell's hand. Deftly gathering Grell's crimson locks into a ponytail with his hand, he gently tugged the redhead in the direction of the living room. "Come along Grell Sutcliff." He mumbled, irritated and embarrassed and oddly nervous all at once.

Grell could only stumble along in shock as Will drug him into the living room, with much less force than he usually employed on his hair whenever he misbehaved, Grell noted. Will sat on the edge of the couch and used a firm hand on Grell's shoulder to guide him to sit on the floor between his legs. Without a word Will began swiftly raking the comb through the redhead's long locks.

"Ah! Ooow! Will~! S-stop!" Grell gasped as Will somehow managed to do an even worse job than the redhead had been doing with only one hand.

William froze. "What? You wanted my help didn't you!" He replied rather defensively to cover his embarrassment at not having any idea how to do this properly.

"I do Will… it's just… remember I said you need two hands? You take some like this…" Grell illustrated by taking a handful of hair in his functioning hand, "…and then start combing out the tangles from the bottom and work your way up. That way it doesn't break the hair or pull on the scalp. If you start from the top you'll just pull all the tangles down make an even bigger mess by the time you've gotten to the bottom."

William could only stare dumbfounded, feeling as though there must be some sort of complex metaphor about life hidden somewhere in that statement. Who knew long hair could be so complicated? "Won't that take all night?" he wondered aloud.

Grell gave a bitter laugh. "I never said being this beautiful was easy did I?"

"I suppose not…" William murmured as he took a handful of hair as instructed and began combing out the bottom of the long strands.

Grell managed a grin as Will obediently tended to his hair. "Does that mean Will admits that I'm beautiful?"

William coughed lightly as his face heated up. "I-I said no such thing."

"But I don't hear you denying it either…" Grell slyly replied.

"…I suppose not." William was suddenly very glad he was behind Grell and the redhead was unable to see his face, as he was fairly certain it quite matched his lover's crimson hair at this point.

Grell smiled and felt himself relax as his lover carefully and gently worked the tangles from his hair. He had never had someone do this for him. No one had ever cared for him enough to spend so much time and effort doing something so mundane. Grell closed his eyes and sighed in contentment, appreciating for a moment how truly lucky he was to have Will.

William soon fell into a rhythm, becoming almost hypnotized by the repetitive motion of the comb running through the silk strands of his lover's hair. He had certainly never told Grell, and in fact only barely admitted it to _himself_, but William had always been rather fond of Grell's hair. It was utterly inconvenient on the job, always getting in the way or needing to be tied back, and it was unnecessarily flashy, but despite it all, William always found himself drawn to it.

It was so wild and passionate and _free_… burning into William's retinas with it's fiery red and forever leaving an impression. Loud, silky, brazen, beautiful and utterly inefficient… everything William wasn't… everything Grell embodied… everything William had never wanted, but had never realized how much he _needed_.

"Will?"

"Hmm?"

"I think that section is done."

Realizing he had been musing on Grell's hair and unintentionally combing the same grouping of soft tangle free strands for several minutes, William's blush returned. Coughing once more to try to add credence to his seemingly gruff reply, William lightly tugged the handful of hair he was currently holding and spoke, "Would you like to take over Grell Sutcliff? I'll decide when I am finished with any given section thank you very much."

"Just trying to be helpful~!"

William could hear the smirk in Grell's voice, and was fairly certain the redhead knew he had merely spaced out. Smiling fondly despite himself out of his lover's view, William lightly yanked on the crimson strands once more before selecting a new handful to work on.

Several minutes passed in near silence, the only noise coming from the logs in the fireplace crackling, the room's two occupants quiet breathing, and the sound of the comb gently working it's way through Grell's crimson mane. The blanket of silence was finally pulled away, as it often was, by Grell…

"I can't wait until my arm is healed." The redhead sighed forlornly.

"Why? So I can… what was it again?" William leaned over to read his supposed message on Grell's cast, "…ah yes, so I can 'fuck the living daylights out of you'? Because you know, while that _obviously_ must have been written by me, what with the use of your full name and the word 'honestly', I can't say I remember writing such nonsense on your cast..." William replied with a soft smirk.

Grell giggled and replied, "I'm sure you were just tired Will~! Who _else_ could it have possibly been?" the redhead teased, laughing a bit more before sobering, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Really though, I want to get better so I can stop being a burden to you. I can tell you were angry with me when I asked for your help today." Grell finished with a small sigh and looked down.

William suddenly felt like an ass for his earlier behavior. Sighing deeply, William replied, "I wasn't angry Grell… well… I _was_… it's just…" William growled a bit in frustration as he couldn't seem to articulate his feelings, as that had never been one of his strong suits. Taking a deep breath, William tried again, "Grell, I _was_ angry with you, but not because you asked for my help. I was angry that you hurt yourself. I was angry you had done something stupid and put yourself in danger. I was angry… because you made me worry." he finished quietly. He was somewhat surprised at his answer, having not fully understood the root of his irritation with Grell, but William realized it was the truth.

"You were worried?"

William felt like a complete bastard upon hearing the tone of surprise in his lover's voice. "Of course I was. Ronald ran into my office and told me there had been an accident… I thought the worst. I was suddenly frightened of… of losing you. So when I got there and found that you lot had merely done something idiotic and little harm had been done… I was relieved… but also angry… that I had worried over nothing… I'm not even making sense am I?" William trailed off, feeling as though he was just uselessly rambling at this point, not sure what else to say.

"No, you are. I… I didn't realize… I just thought I was annoying you." Grell replied in shock, having never imagined hearing such an emotional response come from his stoic lover. "Will… I'm sorry I made you worry." The redhead whispered apologetically.

"It's alright now… just… just don't let it happen again Grell Sutcliff." William finished off with his signature stern inflection, somehow feeling more at ease now that he had told Grell the truth about his anger toward him.

Grell smiled softly and answered. "Yes sir."

"Well… I think your hair is about finished." William found himself saying rather reluctantly. Without realizing it, he had come to thoroughly enjoy the surprisingly intimate action of combing through his lover's hair.

Grell stood up smiling brightly and turned to face Will. Without warning Grell quickly but carefully arranged himself in Will's lap, being sure to keep his broken arm on the side away from Will's body, nuzzling his face into the crook of his lover's neck. "Thank you Will." The redhead purred, sounding as though he was perfectly content to stay right where he was.

William's eyes widened as Grell situated himself on top of him, but didn't fight it. He would never admit it, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to hold Grell, and yes, do everything he could to take his lover's pain away. _Honestly, I suppose this victory goes to you heart. _William could swear he heard cheering from the back of that crowded room.

However... William's mind, not to be outdone, demanded one more action before conceding defeat. Sharply jabbing Grell's injured arm, William sternly spoke, "And just to be clear, you are never going to do something so stupid ever again, are you Grell Sutcliff?"

Grell gasped, his mouth hanging open incredulously at Will, before soundly thwacking him on the chest with his good arm. "No~! Now stop that you sadist~!"

Relaxing and even allowing a small smile to flicker across his features, William wrapped his arms around his lover more securely and replied, "Alright then, as long as we have an understanding."

"We do… as long as you do me one more favor~!" Grell grinned playfully. "Kiss it better?" He asked while pouting exaggeratedly and holding up his injured arm.

William raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "And how would my doing that possibly make anything better?"

"It would make me feel better." Grell answered surprisingly genuinely.

Thinking it was utterly ridiculous, but frankly not feeling up for an argument, William gently grasped the redhead's cast and guided his arm toward him to kiss the portion of Grell's fingers extending from the bandages. William then gave Grell a dry look that said something to the effect of 'happy now?'

Grell smiled blissfully and kissed Will softly. "I feel better already~!"

Even as William rolled his eyes at the ridiculous notion that such an unrelated action could have done anything to make Grell feel better, something about the thought made him smile softly all the same.

* * *

To be continued...


	8. A Romantic Yarn

_Waaaaah I'm still alive and definitely have NOT forgotten about this story! My compy got a virus and had to be reformatted, causing me to lose any chapters I had in progress. Then I was stricken with cursed writer's block! I'm trying to get back on my game though, so bare with me!_

_This just popped into my head and wouldn't leave until I wrote it down XD A couple of notes to better understand this chapter. 1) a yarn can be both a material for knitting things and a kind of rambling story, and I have a fetish for horrible puns, hence the chapter title. 2) this chapter makes several references to "All the Difference", so if you haven't read it, you may want to? 3) for those of you that don't know, Titus Andronicus is basically the Texas Chainsaw Massacre of Shakespeare plays._

_Oh yeah and… SMUT ALERT! *cough* Anyway, enjoy…_

* * *

A Romantic Yarn

Rain tapped gently against the window pane, playing a soothing melody. William sighed contentedly as he turned the page of the book he found himself absorbed in. It was a rare day off, made rarer still by the fact that the overworked dispatch manager had no take home paperwork or errands to run. All was right in William's world. The gentle white noise of the rain outside, the fire slowly dying in the hearth and giving off a sleepy orange glow, the smell of ink and old paper that he loved so well, and best of all, no distractio-

"Wi~ll! I need your help with something~!"

William's eyebrow twitched violently as his book was snatched from his grasp in the blink of an eye by a redheaded menace. Said menace, otherwise known as Grell Sutcliff, promptly situated his lover to face sideways toward the sofa's arm rest before unceremoniously plopping down in front of him, sitting between his outstretched legs. As Grell brought his own legs to rest on either side of his partner's body, William sputtered indignantly, not only at the brazen invasion of his personal space, but at the fact that all Grell appeared to be wearing was one of William's discarded work shirts. For the life of him, William would never understand Grell's disdain for proper clothing, but he supposed he should be thankful his shirt ran long on the redhead, thereby at least covering his more… intimate regions.

"Wh-what on earth Grell?" William sputtered as Grell took his hands in a firm hold and held them up about 6 inches apart with the palms facing one another. With determined fire in his eyes, Grell produced a small ball of red yarn he had apparently brought with him and tucked the end loosely between William's thumb and forefinger.

"Hold." Grell ordered, as he began swiftly winding the yarn neatly around the framework of his lover's hands.

"I _was_ reading you know…"

"Yes, and now you're not~!" Grell replied matter-of-factly with a smug grin, all the while continuing to meticulously wind crimson yarn around his partner's hands.

William's irritated glare seemed to have no effect, as always, on the stubborn redhead. "Honestly, why is this even necessary? That yarn is already in a perfectly good ball."

His lover's incredulous expression told William that he had once again stumbled upon a baffling feminine mystery that the redhead was sure to enlighten him on. "Really Will, isn't it obvious? When it's in a ball it rolls half way across the room as you pull more yarn out!" Grell rolled his eyes and made little tutting noises under his breath, "…_men._"

Sighing heavily while looking forlornly at his bound hands, William resigned himself to the fact that he was trapped. "How long will this take exactly?"

"I don't know…" Grell pouted exaggeratedly and leaned forward, "…I just thought it would be nice to spend some time with Will. Don't you want to spend time with me?"

William blushed and looked away with a frown as Grell unleashed his well rehearsed puppy dog eyes. It wasn't as though he minded spending time with his lover, but William thought he should at least have a _say_. Clearing his throat, William attempted to raise a hand to adjust his glasses, only to be stopped by the yarn binding them. Coughing awkwardly, William replied, "I suppose I can read later…"

Grell grinned at his lover's response and raised a hand to gently nudge Will's glasses up the bridge of his nose for him. "Exactly~! What _were _you reading anyway?" Grell questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Hamlet."

"That's your favorite Shakespeare play isn't it? You quoted it quite a bit in your office that day." Grell replied with a wistful sigh as he thought back on his favorite New Year to date.

"And let me guess, yours is… Romeo and Juliet?" Honestly, Grell was entirely too predica-

"Oh no~! Romeo and Juliet is my _second_favorite." Grell replied with a wide grin. "My favorite is Titus Andronicus~!"

That certainly had not been what William had expected to hear. "Why on earth would Titus Andronicus be your favorite?"

"Just think about it Will~! A man overcomes a terrible _handy_-cap…" William rolled his eyes at Grell's awful pun, "…and not only manages to exact bloody revenge on his enemies, but he manages to bake a pie _and_ throw a lovely dinner party while he's at it! Now there's a man after my own heart~!" Grell finished, sighing dreamily.

William seriously considered for a moment the fact that he himself was apparently also a man after Grell's heart… so what exactly did that say about him? Shuddering slightly, William decided that either way, he definitely never wanted to be one of the redhead's enemies. "…right."

"Say Will… if someone were to defile me, would you bake them into a pie for me~?" Grell asked with a wicked grin.

William raised an eyebrow and dryly replied, "Somehow I imagine you would beat me to it."

Grell's grin stretched wider. "True. Though it's _hardly_ romantic if I have to avenge myself~!"

"…you have a very unique view of romance Grell Sutcliff."

A small pout replaced the redhead's Cheshire grin. "At least I _have_ one…" he muttered.

"Oh honestly Grell, what's that supposed to mean?" William replied indignantly.

At Grell's raised eyebrow and dry look that clearly said 'Really?', William could only frown and look away. Perhaps he wasn't the most romantic person around, but surely he was _occasionally_! As he thought frantically for any sort of instance in which their interaction could be deemed romantic, William's frown deepened. They didn't exactly go on dates… he certainly wasn't one for brazen declarations… poetry was right out… surely there was _something_…

William sighed in defeat. "Perhaps you have a point."

"Of course I do~!" Grell exclaimed with an air of superiority. "So I suppose I'll have to help you." Pausing from his seemingly endless winding, the redhead looked up to pin William with his emerald gaze. "Tell me how you feel about me Will, from your heart."

When faced with such a simple and honest request from his lover… William wanted nothing more than to flee the room as quickly as possible. Give him a life and death battle with a horde of demons and William wouldn't break a sweat… dealing with his feelings on the other hand…

William had never liked thinking too deeply on his emotions. Emotions were messy, illogical, and utterly uncontrollable, yet had the power to completely control those who felt them. William did not like the idea of losing control. When it came to Grell however, and the emotions the redhead stirred within him, William felt himself time and again fall under the sway of his heart's command, doing and saying things he otherwise would have never even considered. It sometimes frightened him when he thought about just how much Grell affected him.

With a thoughtful frown still in place and a blush creeping across his cheeks, William stammered in reply, "I… you… that is… y-you are very… dear to me… Grell Sutcliff…"

Grell's eyes fell back to his partner's yarn wrapped hands as he slowly began winding the string once more. "I see… dear to you…" the redhead whispered with a hint of disappointment. Not to be deterred, Grell bounced back quickly and delivered his next attack. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

William fixed the redhead with an irritated glare. "Honestly Grell, don't fish for compliments!" he grumbled, his blush darkening.

"Well considering that your romantic status has been called into serious question, fishing for compliments may be the only way I'm going to get them~! Now don't dodge the question! Do you think I'm beautiful?" Grell huffed.

"Of course I do!" William snapped, gasping as he realized what he had admitted. Sighing, William looked away from his lover's prying gaze and mumbled, "Honestly… you should know I do…"

"And that is precisely why you are horrible at romance~!" Grell concluded triumphantly, as though what William had just said had revealed some profound truth. "Romance is all about expression~! What you think of someone, how you feel about them. But you expect me to be a mind reader~!" the redhead finished off his pronouncement with a glare and a sharp jab to William's chest.

"I most certainly do not! I merely think that it should be obvious by my actions how I feel about you." William retorted sharply.

"Aaaa~ I see! Well then Will, let's try a little experiment~!" Grinning wickedly, Grell carefully set aside the yarn ball and brought his hands to his chest. Keeping his eyes locked on Will's, Grell began slowly caressing himself, running his fingertips along his sides and down his neck. A hand quickly found it's way inside the redhead's shirt, pinching and tweaking a rosy bud hidden beneath the fabric.

William could do nothing but stare dumbfounded as Grell began to touch himself. The redhead's breathing was becoming heavy and his eyes were half lidded with desire. Why on earth was Grell doing this? An experiment… didn't he say? What were they experimenting on again? William's mind had nearly shut down as his body decided that his blood supply would soon be needed elsewhere, when Grell breathlessly murmured, "Mmmmm Will… what do you think… I'm thinking about… nnng right now?"

Getting into the spirit of things, William leaned forward and carefully used a yarn bound hand to tip his lover's chin up. "I could wager a guess…" he whispered against Grell's ruby lips before claiming them in a smoldering kiss. William reached out to run a hand through his lover's crimson hair, only to remember that he was still holding the half wound yarn.

William began to twist his wrist to release the yarn and free himself from his restraints when Grell clamped his hands in an iron grip and pulled away panting. "And if that guess is anything but 'thinking about what I have to pick up at the market for dinner tomorrow', then you'd be wrong~!" the redhead said cheekily as he calmly picked up the ball of yarn once more and proceeded winding it around William's hands as though nothing had happen. "I was thinking of making Sheppard's pie, you like that right Will?" Grell asked sweetly, a smug grin splitting his features.

"Yes I do li… wait… what? What on earth just happened Grell Sutcliff?" William asked incredulously, still panting slightly and feeling uncharacteristically flustered.

Grell couldn't suppress a small giggle at how hot and bothered Will had gotten from his little show. Smiling softly, Grell brought his attention back to his task as he quietly murmured, "You can't always tell what a person is thinking from their actions Will. You can think and feel all you like, but it doesn't do any good if the other person doesn't get the message. So tell me Will, why did you finally decide to kiss me that New Year's Eve? What were you _feeling_?"

William felt as though this conversation may be the most uncomfortable he had ever been. Why was Grell bringing all this up? Asking him to explain his feelings or thought process when it came to Grell, especially on that night, was akin to asking him to walk blindfolded through a minefield! William was certain that whatever he said wasn't likely to satisfy Grell, having never been good at expressing himself, and certainly not _romantically_. Not knowing exactly what kind of response his lover was after, William hoped the simple truth would suffice. "I felt… that of all the times you had tried something like that… for the first time you seemed… genuine. I could tell it actually meant something to you… that you weren't just playing with me." he softly answered, mumbling the last bit barely above a whisper.

Grell supposed that was fair, considering that he hadn't wanted Will to know how serious he really was, being sure of rejection should Will ever realize just how much he meant every declaration. _But wait… surely that didn't make him fall for me right then and there~! Did he… _Grell gulped slightly and asked a question that had long been on his mind, "Did you have feelings for me Will… before that night?"

"I… that is… yes." William breathed, looking determinedly to the side as though the sofa back were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

Grell's hand faltered slightly before continuing it's repetitive circling around his lover's hands. "For how long?"

"…I can't say. Years… decades… I don't know. I just realized one day that… when before I had always found myself irritated by your company… along the way something changed… and I… I found myself irritated… at the thought of being _without_ your company." William haltingly mumbled, his blush spreading clear up to his ears.

A smile found it's way onto Grell's lips as he stilled his hands once more and reached up to turn his lover's handsome face toward him. "_Irritated_ hmmm? You have a very unique view of romance William T. Spears." The redhead whispered before leaning forward to softly claim William's lips.

Breathing a sigh of relief into the kiss, William felt himself relax after the impromptu 'romantic' interrogation. Apparently he had passed, as Grell was still smiling as he leaned back once more to continue winding the soft crimson yarn around his hands. Eager to change the subject, William raised an eyebrow as his curiosity finally got the better of him. "So what precisely is all this yarn for? Are you making something?"

"It's a present for you of course~! It's getting cold out and all your scarves are so bo~ring!" Grell declared, his eyes excitedly focused on his task as he finally reached the end of the yarn and tucked it securely in place with a rather victorious air.

William furrowed his eyebrows and frowned out of habit, "That really isn't necessary… I don't really like flashy things…"

A mischievous glint in his lover's eyes served as William's only warning. Grabbing William's hands with lightening speed, Grell held the yarn securely in place and leaned forward until his lips brushed tantalizingly against his lover's as he leered and whispered seductively, "Oh really? You seem to like _me_ just fine…"

"Gre-mmph" William began, not sure it he was protesting or agreeing, before all thought was wiped away to be replaced with thoughts of Grell as the redhead claimed his lips.

William groaned as Grell deepened the kiss, practically melting into the embrace. As Grell began fiddling with the buttons of his shirt, William used his few still functioning brain cells to assess the situation. Grell was all but in his lap, wearing nothing but a dress shirt, scooting ever closer and pressing his hips against him, while William's hands were currently bound by yards of crimson yarn. _Honestly, how do I get myself in these situations?_ Gasping as Grell snuck a hand inside his now unbuttoned shirt to pinch a hardening nipple, William broke away from the heated embrace. "Grell! It's the middle of the day, and we're on the _couch_!"

"Mmmmmm my Will is so clever and observant~!" Grell giggled as he teasingly ran a finger down his lover's abdomen to unbutton his trousers. Leaning forward, the redhead shivered against his lover's frame and whispered huskily, "I'm cold Will."

Squirming as Grell's hand wandered into the open fly of his trousers, William gasped in reply, "Putting on some trousers wou- nnnng… would be a perfectly vi-viable solution…"

"I'd rather have you warm me up~!" the redhead whispered playfully as he leaned back, grinning in a way that both terrified and excited William. In one quick motion, Grell raised William's bound hands above his head and shoved him until he was lying on the sofa.

"G-Grell! We can't do this here! The bedroom is-"

Grell pressed a finger to his lover's lips, silencing his protests. "Too far away. I want you right here, right now~!" Bringing both hands up to grip William's wrists and holding them in place above his head, Grell pressed his body tightly to his lover and whispered against his lips. "Just lie back and let me take care of everything…" Grell's eyes gained a menacing glint as he grinned, revealing his sharp teeth, "…just keep your hands up, and don't you dare mess up my yarn~!"

William's eyes widened as Grell issued his thinly veiled threat before his lips were thoroughly consumed once more. Grell slowly worked his way down his lover's neck and chest, nipping and licking as he went, his fingertips and silky crimson hair following behind and leaving trails of fire on William's skin. William fought to control his erratic breathing as Grell reached his nipples, sucking and nibbling on the tender buds and making him gasp in pleasure.

Grell slid down his lover's torso, intent on his prize. Reaching underneath William, Grell silently instructed his lover to lift his hips, allowing his trousers and underclothes to be shoved down enough to expose his firm length. As Grell's tongue circled the head of his arousal, William couldn't stop the low moan that broke free from his lips. William moved to grip his lover's hair as Grell took his throbbing member into the wet hot cavern of his mouth, but stopped as he felt the precariously looped threads of yarn shift against his hands. Growling in frustration, William couldn't help squirming a bit as he longed to touch his lover.

As he bobbed his head up and down on his lover's cock, feeling Will tense and shiver under him, Grell knew he wouldn't be able to wait long to have that heat inside of him. It seemed that Will was of a similar opinion, the way he was squirming and thrusting his hips to meet the redhead's waiting mouth.

Without preparing himself, as the slight burning pain would only serve to heighten his pleasure, Grell crawled up on top of his lover's trembling body. Placing a warm hand splayed across Will's chest, Grell reached around and guided his lover's cock to rest against his tight entrance. Slowly, Grell lowered himself until William's arousal was completely buried inside of him. Meeting his lover's eyes with a lustful gaze, Grell began to raise and lower himself, repeatedly impaling himself on his partner's heated length.

William shook with equal parts desire and frustration. Grell seemed to have a considerable fondness for being restrained during intercourse, though after getting a taste of the sensation for himself, William failed to see the appeal. It wasn't that he was afraid or distrustful of his lover, he merely wanted desperately to _touch_ him. With Grell's heated body moving above him, around him, his long crimson hair trailing to tickle his chest and stomach, William burned with the desire to touch and caress every inch of his lover. Of course the yarn would be simple enough to discard should he want to, but not without upsetting Grell, and potentially causing him to stop. _Oh God… don't stop_… Another growl escaped him as he could do nothing but move his hips and watch the crimson vision before him.

Grell smiled as he saw Will's obvious irritation building. _Seems like Will doesn't like being tied up~!_ Leaning down, Grell ran his hands along Will's arms and settled on his yarn bound hands as he pressed their bodies together and kissed him fiercely. As the redhead's hands snaked down to tangle in his lover's dark hair, William made his move.

Swiftly bringing his arms down over Grell's head to rest atop his shoulders and around his neck, William brought them up into a sitting position. The new position drove him deeper inside the redhead, causing a deep moan to erupt from Grell. Their tongues battled as Grell gripped William's shoulders tightly and rode his lover faster. William groaned as he felt the perfect silk strands of Grell's hair run through his fingers. Realizing belatedly that he had moved his hands and already feeling the loops of yarn unraveling, falling to mingle with the crimson locks running down Grell's back, William found he didn't care in the slightest about the damn yarn. All he cared about now was Grell's heat, Grell's tongue… _Grell_… "Grell…"

"Nnnng Will~! Yes… aaaaa~ please… m-more…" Grell moaned.

Crimson yarn scattered all around them as William pushed Grell to lie on his back and drove deeper and harder inside of him. William fumbled with the buttons of Grell's shirt, opening it and allowing his fingertips to travel over his lover's sweat soaked body, seemingly making up for lost time. A few stubborn loops of yarn were still tangled in his fingers and trailing behind to tickle Grell's sensitive skin. The redhead gasped and whimpered at the stimulation, the sounds driving William mad with desire.

Shifting slightly, William wrapped a hand around his lover's length, stroking him in time with his increasingly frantic thrusts. Grell moaned loudly and wrapped his legs tightly around William's frame. William's other hand sought out one of Grell's, entwining their fingers along with strands of crimson yarn, as he met his lover's eyes.

As Grell felt pleasure build and crest within him, he roughly grabbed his lover's dark hair and yanked him down to meet him, crushing their lips together passionately. Grell's senses were flooded and consumed with Will. His sent, his taste, his touch, all around him… inside of him. It was all too much. Shouting out in rapture into his lover's mouth, Grell painfully yanked on William's dark hair as he came hard, his hot seed spilling onto his stomach and chest.

William followed close behind, the surprise jolt of pain as Grell pulled his hair sending him over the edge. Gasping and whispering his lover's name again and again, William rode out his orgasm and collapsed on top of the spent redhead. After catching his breath for a moment, William cracked an eye open and straightened his glasses, which he belatedly realized he probably should have taken off first. Though he couldn't exactly do so with that… yarn… oh my.

"Grell… I'm sorry… but your yarn seems to have been… compromised." William breathed into his lover's ear while holding up a hand that, much like he and Grell, was utterly tangled in crimson yarn.

Rather than the irritation William had expected to hear from the fiery redhead once he came down from his high, he was met instead with soft laughter. "But it was fun wasn't it~?"

_Fun? Well yes but… hadn't Grell been meaning to use that yarn for… unless…_ "Grell, you _planned_ this didn't you? There _was_ no scarf, you just wanted to tie me up and have your way with me!"

Grell turned to face his sternly glaring lover, a playful grin on his features. "But it was _fun_ wasn't it~?" he repeated with a wink.

"…_honestly_."

* * *

To be continued...


	9. Double Date 1: Tunnel of WHAT?

_Long chapter(s) is long! XD This was requested by many people, including my mom! So verily, here is my take on a Will and Grell on a date. And since there was such overwhelming demand for them, it's a double date with Alan and Eric! Since summer is upon us, an evening at the carnival seemed appropriate. I actually did research for this, and carnivals did exist in the Victorian Era, and they did indeed have some rather… interesting things you might not find at a carnival today XD_

* * *

Double Date Part 1: Tunnel of _WHAT_?

It was 7:06 pm. Precisely six minutes past the scheduled meeting time. _This is unacceptable! Isn't one supposed to be punctual when meeting a date? Not that they are dating me per say… but still… it's the principle of the thing…_ William growled audibly as he began to pace the sidewalk outside the traveling carnival that was to be the stage for his first ever _date_. A _double_ date no less. Alan and Eric were to accompany he and Grell this evening, and any minute now they would presumably arrive.

Grell was standing nearby, calmly examining his crimson manicured nails for imperfections, and William… William was terrified. When Grell had suggested the idea, William was adamantly opposed. Dates were supposed to be private weren't they? Intimate? Though as Grell pointed out that they never seemed to actually _go_ on any of these 'private intimate' dates, the least William could do was take the redhead on the date the other couple had invited them on. So William had finally agreed, had spent more time considering his wardrobe than he had in his entire _life_ (and still somehow ended up in something that looked strikingly similar to his work attire), had finally worked up the nerve to be here, and they had the audacity-

"Eric Slingby, Alan Humphries, you are late!" William harshly blurted out as the subjects of his racing thoughts appeared before him. He pointedly adjusted his glasses and glared disapprovingly at their tardiness, all in the hopes of gaining some sense of normalcy in this unfamiliar situation. He felt as though it wasn't working.

Alan and Eric looked skeptically at one another, seeming to come to some sort of silent agreement that perhaps a double date with their boss hadn't been the best idea. "Um… sorry?" Eric mumbled while scratching the back of his neck, "…sir."

"I misplaced my billfold and it took a bit of time to find it." Alan said quietly, looking awkwardly to the side and blushing slightly in embarrassment under his supervisor's harsh gaze.

"Oh this won't do at all~! Will, stop being so stuffy! This is a date, not overtime! It's not as though you have to clock in~!" Grell admonished their superior, who instead of snapping at the redhead or brandishing his deathscythe as Alan and Eric had expected, William merely looked away in embarrassment and bravely withstood a sound smack to his arm.

Grell then turned his attention to the pair, "Don't you worry about Will, he was just worried he had been stood up on his first date~!" he teased, winking as he approached his colleagues.

Breathing a collective sigh of relief, Alan and Eric chuckled lightly and good naturedly accepted Grell's affectionate greetings, the redhead hugging each of them in turn and kissing their cheeks.

William watched in fascination as Grell casually diffused the tense situation and fondly greeted his co-workers. No… right now, off the clock, they were his _friends_. William had never realized what an important difference that was until this moment. Were Alan and Eric _his_ friends as well? Surely not, as they had never even interacted outside of work. So what was he supposed to do now? Would… would he be expected to hug and kiss them as well?

Panicking as Alan took a step toward him, William abruptly thrust his hand out to the shorter man. "Ahem… yes… thank you for coming Alan Humphries… Eric Slingby." he mumbled, nodding to them in turn.

Alan raised an eyebrow as he warily grasped his boss's hand and shook. "Uh… right."

After Eric stiffly shook William's hand as well, the assembly fell into uncomfortable silence. Alan shifted his feet awkwardly, Eric coughed, William adjusted his glasses… again. "Oh you three are just impossible~!" Grell exclaimed. "You two…" the redhead pointed at Alan and Eric, "…don't worry about Will, I'll make sure he behaves himself!"

William opened his mouth to reply indignantly that last he checked, Grell was not his mother, when the redhead rounded on him and interrupted, "And _you_! Calm down! This is a date Will, it's meant to be fun~!" Taking advantage of the party's collective shock at Grell's bold attempt at salvaging the date from failure before it had even begun, the redhead wrapped himself around his lover's arm, grasping his hand and pulling him toward the traveling carnival's glowing lights. "So now that we're all here, let's go have some fun~!"

William sputtered and planted his feet as Grell attempted to drag him off. "G-Grell! We're in _public_!" he stammered, looking in horror at their intertwined hands.

"Yes, on~ a~ date~! Couples on dates hold hands Will~! Now quit fussing and let's go!" Grell said, completely undeterred by his lover's protests as he drug him through the entrance to the carnival. Eric and Alan looked at one another, identical smirks on their faces as they witnessed their fearsome supervisor being rendered rather tame by their red haired colleague. Perhaps tonight would be more entertaining than they thought. The pair clasped hands and followed.

As William resigned himself to the fact he seemingly couldn't avoid the public display of affection, as his attempts to yank his hand free only caused Grell's death grip to tighten, he let loose a long suffering sigh and attempted to relax. It helped that with all the unusual carnival folk wandering about, two pairs of men holding hands seemed to garner little attention.

William took a deep breath and felt a small bit of tension leave him as Alan began making small talk with Grell. As he listened quietly to his employees making conversation, the three of them seemingly completely at ease talking about mundane office happenings or the latest ridiculous hijinks of their comrade Ronald Knox, William found himself inexplicably… jealous. Why was it so _easy_ for them?

They idly passed several attractions that failed to excite them. To a group of supernatural beings who had seen things most humans couldn't imagine, a carnival sideshow featuring various animals sewn together and preserved in jars held little appeal. Alan noticed a small pavilion where a few circus acts were taking place, but William quickly rejected the idea, shuddering at the memory of his short stint in show business.

When pressed for details, William stammered in reply, "That is absolutely none of your business Alan Humphries!" his voice having the audacity to crack midsentence.

Grell leaned behind his lover and met Alan's eyes. _I'll tell you later~! _ he mouthed, winking and blowing the brunette a kiss to seal the deal.

The four shinigami moved on, the group's atmosphere growing increasingly oppressive. After William's unexpected outburst, Alan didn't feel inclined to offer any more suggestions, and Eric seemed to join his lover's silent protest of their boss's coldness in a show of solidarity. As the outing started to feel less like a date and more like a death march, Grell decided he had had enough!

"That's it! I'm not letting anything ruin my double date to _die_ for~! I don't care _what_ it is, the next attraction around this corner is the one we're going to see, and we are going to have fun even if it kills us!" the redhead exclaimed in frustration, his sharp teeth bared and eye twitching violently.

"Right!"

"Damn straight!"

"…honestly…"

And so it was that Grell triumphantly turned the corner and whirled around dramatically, his crimson hair fanning out behind him, as he pointed toward their destination and declared, "Alright~! Here we come… _BURLESQUE_ _SHOW_?" The redhead's mouth hung open comically as he stared in horror.

As Grell began to somehow both whimper in dismay and growl with rage simultaneously, the remaining three members of their party looked at one another. Here they were, two pairs of men, on a double date, standing in front of a peep show. Eric was the first to crack.

"Oh Christ Grell, you really have the worst timing ever don't you?" Eric sputtered as he bent over laughing.

"Of all the shows Grell could find… it had to be… the most inappropriate thing imaginable!" Alan gasped in between his giggles.

"Sounds like Grell to a tee…" William muttered, a small amused smirk sneaking it's way onto his features.

As Alan and Eric heard their supervisor mutter what could be considered to some as… a joke… while wearing what could be arguably be called… a smile… everyone froze and held their breath. Eric and Alan wore matching expressions of shock, Grell looked positively scandalized at his lover's heartless betrayal and William… William merely looked confused.

"W-what? I merely agreed that Grell Sutcliff is often inappropriate, as is the show he has chosen, given that all of us are in relationships with men, and therefore would have no desire to see half naked women!"

Grell's eye twitched. "Excuse me William, but unless you're seeing someone on the side, _you_ are in a relationship with a _lady_!"

Alan and Eric subconsciously backed up a step as Grell bristled, ready to strike should anyone dare contradict him. They had been down that road before at many a late night party, and it always seemed to end with plenty of bodily harm and/or property damage.

Too caught up in his desire to be technically correct, William momentarily forgot the company he was in as he raised an eyebrow and dryly replied, "Grell, I have seen your penis personally on numerous occasions."

You could hear a pin drop as everyone processed that little tidbit. Grell stood aghast, an embarrassed blush spreading across his cheeks, Alan actually _ducked_ behind Eric as he anticipated the roar of a chainsaw at any moment, and Eric… Eric laughed.

Walking fearlessly up to the redhead and slinging an arm around his shoulders, Eric chuckled good naturedly and spoke, "Well I guess he's got your number eh Grell! Don't worry, Alan and I won't tell anyone!" he teased the redhead, winking and giving him a winning smile. Eric addressed the group once more, "What do you guys…" Grell glared up at him, "…and _gals_ think of skipping this particular attraction and getting some grub? It's not a carnival without something greasy and fried after all!"

Grell wrinkled his nose at the thought of anything greasy and fried, but still allowed himself to be drug away toward the food stalls. Alan laughed softly at Eric's bold intervention before gently patting William on the back. "Don't worry, he'll get over it. Let's go." he murmured, smiling up encouragingly at his boss.

It was at that moment that William realized he couldn't recall anyone besides Grell actually genuinely smiling at him before. Of course people smiled in his presence quite often (_too_ often in fact, given that smiling was against the rules for a shinigami on the job) but no one else really smiled at _him_ specifically. Is this what it meant to be friends with someone? William's only real friend was Grell, and that was only because the redhead had burst into his life and declared them friends (and love interests, but that was beside the point) until William had finally conceded defeat. Not knowing for sure, but thinking perhaps this moment was important somehow, William hesitantly gave a small smile in return and nodded before silently following after Grell and Eric.

And so it was that they soon found themselves sitting at a rather dingy wooden table, huddled around a strange fried dough concoction covered in cinnamon sugar. Alan and Eric exchanged worried glances as Grell pointedly pouted and William stayed stoic as always, staring down the dough in front of them as though it had somehow wronged him.

"Come on Grell, I'm sure he didn't mean it that way." Alan softly spoke, not entirely sure what 'way' William hadn't meant his rather hard to misinterpret statement, but trying none the less.

"Of course I meant it, it's the truth." Eric an Alan winced collectively as William seemed content to dig his own grave, "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, stop this foolishness…" William turned toward his pouting lover, his eyes softening a fraction as he continued, "…you are perfectly fine as you are."

The redhead brightened and latched on to William's arm, resting his head on his lover's shoulder and purring, "So Will thinks I'm perfect?"

"That is most certainly not wha-" William abruptly stopped as Eric coughed loudly and actually _kicked_ him under the table. Raising his eyebrows in shock, William looked at Eric and his partner, both shaking their heads frantically, their eyes darting in Grell's direction. Sighing, William turned back to his lover.

"What were you saying William?" Grell asked sweetly, his sharp teeth bared in warning.

William sighed… again. "Yes Grell, you're perfect." he deadpanned.

Grell beamed and abruptly grabbed either side of William's face, pulling him in for a quick kiss. "Alright, I forgive you~!" he whispered with a mischievous grin against his lover's lips.

William predictably tensed up and blushed clear up to his ears, looking straight ahead in an apparent attempt to ignore the redhead currently giggling and nuzzling at his neck. "Honestly… we're in public…" he muttered while shoving up his glasses.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's eat!" Eric exclaimed before tearing a piece of sugary dough off and holding it to Alan's mouth, a playful smirk on his lips.

Alan laughed and carefully took the morsel before repeating the process for Eric, who took his bite a bit less innocently, his tongue darting out to lick a bit of sugar off his lover's fingertips. Grell giggled fondly at the exchange and looked expectantly at Will, his eyes as wide as saucers and flicking between the dessert and his lover.

"Oh honestly, you can't be serious…" William said as he suspiciously eyed the pile of fried sugary bread.

"Come on William, relax and have a little fun! Whatever happens tonight never leaves the four of us. Trust us, we're all friend's here, right?" Eric said encouragingly as he slung an arm around Alan. After observing his superior in this casual setting, Eric was beginning to suspect that perhaps William's bark might just be worse than his bite.

William blanched slightly at Eric's words. Friends? So they _were_ friends then? So… is this what friends do… say and do embarrassing, _private_ things in front of one another? '_Trust us_.' Ah, so that was it. It was about trusting each other enough to let them see those embarrassing things. _Very well_…

Gulping as he suddenly felt the weight of three pairs of eyes trained on him, William carefully tore off a small chunk of bread and held it up to Grell's waiting ruby lips.

"Mmmmmmmm~!" Grell purred, of _course_ licking his lover's fingers clean in the most obscene way possible, causing William's blush to deepen and Alan and Eric to break into laughter once more. William frowned and snapped his head toward his chuckling subordinates, intent on telling them off for mocking him. The words died in his throat however as he saw no malice in their eyes, but rather a sort of warmth… a fondness. William was struck with the thought that perhaps… without even realizing it… perhaps he really had made some friends. Before he could stop himself, a tiny sheepish smile had snuck it's way onto his lips…

...until a piece of greasy sweetened bread was placed against said lips, which once again adopted the frown William was much better known for. Gently grasping Grell's wrist to shove away the morsel, William muttered, "Thank you, but I really don't like sweet things…"

Grell gave up easily, shrugging and popping the treat into his own mouth. In hindsight, perhaps the redhead had given up a bit _too_ easily. In the blink of an eye, Grell grabbed hold of his lover's neck and forcibly yanked him down to meet his lips. William gasped in shock (another fatal flaw, in hindsight), allowing Grell the perfect opportunity to shove the sugary bread, along with his tongue, into William's mouth. When William finally managed to break free of the redhead's assault, he really had no choice but to chew and swallow the unwanted treat, glaring daggers at his gleefully smiling lover all the while. As Eric and Alan giggled at their antics, William could do nothing but rub the bridge of his nose and sigh in defeat, suddenly longing for the days when his subordinates used to fear him.

The party finished off their treat in a considerably better mood than when they had started the meal. The conversation flowed easily, William even occasionally contributing when he felt he had something relevant to add. By the time they had cleaned up and restarted their tour of the carnival, William was actually feeling, dare he say, relaxed? Little did he know that his relaxation would be short lived…

"Aaaaaa~ look! It's a Tunnel of Love~!" Grell suddenly squealed, clutching William's arm tightly and nearly throwing him off balance as he pointed vigorously.

"Tunnel of… Love? What on earth is the purpose…?" William asked, trailing off as he looked apprehensively at the giant red heart serving as the mouth of this supposed love tunnel. He watched in horror as small high-backed boats shaped like swans (of all the ridiculous things) housing one couple each were devoured into the darkness.

"The purpose? It's for ki-"

Eric stomped on Grell's foot as discreetly as possible and spoke over him loudly. "It's educational!" he blurted out. His eyes shifted to Alan and silently begged for assistance, "Right Alan?"

"Wha- oh! Y-yes! It's a sort of… exhibit… that tells about… love… it's um… fascinating!" Alan stammered as he fought down a smirk with all his might.

"Oh yes~! The history of love throughout the ages! From Adam and Eve to Victoria and her darling Albert!" Grell enthusiastically added, quickly catching on to Eric and Alan's plan.

William cocked a wary eyebrow, "An educational exhibit… about love? Honestly, it sounds ridiculous…"

"Oh _no_ Will~! It's about humans that by themselves were nothing special, but when brought together by love, managed to change the world~!" the redhead sighed wistfully.

"I don't know…" William muttered unconvinced.

"It never hurts to learn the secrets of love Will~!" Grell replied with a wink. "Come on~!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his lover's arm and marched toward the heart shaped entrance, giving William absolutely no choice in the matter.

As the redhead began dragging him toward the foreboding tunnel, William thought that Grell seemed a little _too_ excited for something educational, but wrote it off as being one of Grell's many eccentricities. William's suspicion grew as Alan and Eric got into a boat in front of them, giggling like school girls, especially when they glanced back in he and Grell's direction. Too late to back out now, William allowed himself to be yanked into one of the ridiculous water fowl shaped boats by his dangerously grinning lover, their adventure taking sail.

As the boat slowly floated through the giant heart gateway, they were immediately plunged into darkness. William squinted and allowed his eyes to adjust, though as he did, he suddenly wished he hadn't. The dim lighting illuminated not historical tableaus or dioramas explaining the socioeconomical and political significance of influential pairs of human lovers, as his coworkers had implied. Instead the walls were sparsely outfitted with crudely painted hearts and cupids, clearly a token effort, as though the décor wasn't really meant to be the focal point at all. A rather shrill orchestral song was being piped in, though William could swear he heard what sounded like wet smacking noises above the echoing soundtrack. William's eyes widened as he heard what sounded distinctly like a moan in Alan Humphries' register.

William's heart filled with dread as Grell laughed in a rather sinister manner and scooted closer. He suddenly had a very good idea what the real purpose of this tunnel was. "Grell Sutcliff! This is some sort of Tunnel of _Debauchery_ isn't it?" William whispered, utterly scandalized.

Turning William's face toward him and gripping his hair to keep him from escaping, Grell leered at his lover and huskily whispered, "Mmmmmm, I _like_ the sound of that…"

As William started to sharply reprimand the redhead for dragging him here under false pretenses, Grell took the opportunity to shove his tongue into his lover's mouth. William bristled and shoved him away at first, but Grell was nothing if not persistent, and before he knew it, William's hands found themselves tangled in his lover's hair as he fought back to dominate the kiss.

So thoroughly absorbed in the taste and feel of his lover, William managed to forget where he was entirely, losing himself in the moment and allowing a moan to escape his lips as he pulled Grell tighter against his frame. Grell shivered with pleasure and shifted until he was basically in William's lap. It was utter bliss. Just he and Grell alone in the dark, the redhead's warmth pressed against him, the smell of his perfume, the sound of… snickering?

William's eyes shot open only to be blinded by the harsh lights of the carnival outside. As his vision cleared, William blinked owlishly around the redhead in his lap, right up at Alan and Eric, who were standing on the bank of the makeshift river and trying valiantly to keep their laughter in check. They lost the battle as they got a good look at their supervisor. William looked positively disheveled, his hair sticking up in all directions, shirt partially unbuttoned, glasses askew and a blush on his face as red as Grell's hair.

Sputtering indignantly, William shoved Grell off his lap and clambered out of the boat, as though leaving the scene of the crime would somehow absolve his guilt. Grell didn't seem bothered in the least by his harsh dismissal, staggering in a blissful haze to Will's side and clinging to his arm with a dreamy smile.

William's death glare served to silence Alan and Eric's laughter… somewhat. Eric in particular kept twitching and snorting every time he dared to meet his boss's eyes. "Have you got something to say Eric Slingby?" William asked in his most authoritative tone, adjusting his glasses and looking as imposing as possible.

"Um… it's just… you've got a little… lipstick..." Eric haltingly replied as he pointed at the corner of his mouth, turning red from the effort it took to control his laughter.

At William's startled look and renewed blush, all three of his subordinates positively roared with laughter. "Honestly, I should give you all overtime…" William grumbled as he scrubbed at the lipstick on his face.

Grell, _helpful_ as he was, pulled out a red handkerchief and, to William's horror, daintily _spit_ on it before attacking his lover's face with the cloth. After he was satisfied the lipstick was gone, Grell leaned up to William's ear and whispered, "There darling, all better~!" before leaving a kiss on his lover's cheek as he pulled away.

Alan and Eric nearly broke into hysterics once more as they glimpsed the brand new bright red lipstick kiss on William's cheek, but somehow managed to keep it in check at Grell's warning glare. William's mind was too busy reeling at how embarrassing this whole situation was to notice the new decoration he was now sporting as they began strolling through the carnival once more…

* * *

To be continued...


	10. Double Date 2: A Test of Strength

_This chapter makes a tiny reference to my EricxAlan story "Aprons and Olive Oil", which fits into this story's universe, happening some time before "All the Difference."__ It's not necessary to understanding the chapter though methinks._

* * *

Double Date Part 2: A Test of Strength

Upon Grell's next thrilling discovery, namely the Test Your Strength game looming over the midway, it wasn't William this time who balked at the suggestion, but another member of their party. As Grell began dragging his lover toward the game, insisting on Will winning him some ridiculous prize, William looked back to see that Alan and Eric weren't following. Instead of the couple's smiling faces he was growing accustomed to seeing, William saw something he had witnessed on a few occasions that never failed to intrigue him.

Eric and Alan seemed to be having an entire conversation without speaking at all. A flick of the eyes, a gentle touch, a twitch of an eyebrow, a quirk of the lips, all of it a fitting together to form a complicated language that only the two of them seemed to understand. Though whenever he witnessed the phenomenon, the academic in William couldn't help but try to interpret it. Alan seemed reluctant or upset, and Eric looked dismayed by it… Alan then shook his head. _'Don't worry' perhaps?_ _What are they worrying about I wonder?_

"_Will?_ Will are you listening?"

"W-what?" Tearing his eyes away from their companions' silent conversation, William realized with a start that they had reached their destination.

The game's overseer, an overweight balding man in a grease stained undershirt, glared impatiently at him as Grell sighed and repeated, "I said that all you have to do it use this mallet…" said mallet was unceremoniously shoved into William's hands as the redhead continued, "…and hit this spot at the bottom as hard as you can, which will make the bell at the top ring and win a prize~! Easy peasy right~?"

"Yes… I suppose…" William muttered as his eyes traveled upward. The bell at the top of the structure seemed much farther away standing up close than it had from across the midway. Feeling slightly self conscious as Alan and Eric finally joined them, thereby doubling his audience, William hefted the deceptively heavy mallet above his head and brought it down on the target. The weight attached to the tall board rose swiftly, though it slowed just as quickly as it lost it's fight against gravity. Reaching it's peek about a meter from the bell, the weight paused for a split second before plummeting to the ground.

William's effort was met with cheerful congratulations from Alan and Eric, as well as words of praise for his apparent manliness from his excited lover. Grell positively squealed as the man who ran the game grunted " 'ere" and tossed a midsized teddy bear at the redhead. "Next!" the operator grunted.

"You're goin' down Spears!" Eric confidently exclaimed, a cocky grin on his features as he hefted the mallet and swung down hard. To his dismay, the weight rose to _just_ below William's highest mark before crashing to the ground. William had the class not to smirk, though he did allow himself a congratulatory glasses adjustment as Eric laughed and sheepishly scratched his head, passing his identical teddy bear to Alan.

After smiling and quietly thanking his partner, Alan spoke up to the group. "Hey, why don't we go ove-"

"Aaaaaaa~ my turn~!" Grell exclaimed, wiggling with excitement. The game operator looked at him skeptically for a moment, before finally shrugging and passing over the mallet. After twirling gracefully several times and suggestively stroking the tool's handle, no doubt for dramatic effect, Grell raised the mallet high. Letting loose a scandalous moan, the redhead positively slammed the mallet down.

The weight sped straight to the top of the tower, the brass bell ringing loudly and echoing through the night air. William wasn't surprised in the least, as he knew better than most that Grell was much stronger than he appeared. What did surprise him was the giant teddy bear nearly half his size that Grell shoved into his arms with a wide grin.

William sighed, "Well… thank you Grell… I suppose. However, isn't this rather… large?"

Grell put a thoughtful finger to his lips as he considered the situation. Eyes brightening as an idea formed, the redhead rounded on the man running the game. Still holding the mallet rather threateningly, Grell sidled up to the man and batted his eyes. "You'll let us keep these things here and pick them up later… _right_?"

When faced with a shark toothed mallet wielding psychopath with freakish strength and false eyelashes, the man gave the only response he really could. "O-o' course" he stammered, gulping and backing away slowly.

"Good~! Your turn Alan~!" Grell responded cheerfully, handing the mallet over to the shorter man.

Alan's grip nearly faltered as the mallet's sheer weight surprised him, but managed to tighten his hold before embarrassing himself. He looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable however. Eric seemed to sense it as well, gripping the brunette's shoulder and starting to say something before Alan laughed nervously and shrugged his hand off. Frowning in concentration and furrowing his brow, Alan stepped up to the target and swung the mallet.

Alan didn't need to watch the weight to know that it hadn't gone very far. It was _always_ like this. He was always the slowest, the one that got tired fastest, the _weakest_. Squaring his jaw and holding his head high, Alan put on a brave smile and politely handed the mallet back to the attendant.

"Well, let's see what's this wa-" Alan began in a faux cheerful voice as he grasped Eric's wrist and took a step away.

"Wait up dere! Don't cha what yer prize?" the game attendant shouted, causing Alan to stop in his tracks and turn around, a wary look in his eye. "Gotcha a real good one right 'ere! It's a right special prize it is." The man chuckled darkly as he dug deep into a box behind the tall wooden structure. " 'ere we are! A pretty li'le crown for a pretty li'le princess!" the man exclaimed, roaring and snorting with laughter as he presented Alan with a dingy and slightly bent children's tiara.

The air seemed to drop ten degrees as Alan's eyes hardened, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"You fucking bastard!" Eric growled as he suddenly surged forward, his fingers itching to summon his deathscythe, when Alan placed a hand to his partner's chest.

"Don't."

"But Alan! This-"

"DON'T!" Alan shouted. Taking a deep breath, Alan dropped his hand and looked away whispering, "Just don't. He's not worth it."

"Alan…" Eric breathed in disbelief.

Turning back to the hateful man, Alan somehow mustered up a small smile that didn't reach his eyes as he politely accepted the humiliating prize. "Thank you sir. Good evening." he spoke in a clipped tone, turning on his heal and walking briskly past other game tents and darting between two, making his way into a deserted area behind the stalls.

Eric glared bloody murder at the attendant, clearly still considering beating him senseless, before reluctantly turning his back and jogging after Alan. Meanwhile, William and Grell experienced a silent communication of their own. After a few tense moments and meaningful glances, William nodded solemnly and started after their companions, while Grell rounded on the disgusting man.

"My, what a clever trick that was you pulled on my friend there~! What a lovely prize you gave him~!" Grell purred as he stalked toward the attendant, his teeth bared and eyes wild. "I think I might even have to give _you_ a prize…" The man trembled and backed away behind the tall structure, conveniently away from prying eyes, before clumsily tripping over his own feet. He looked up in terror as the redhead continued, "…a prize…" Grell grinned wickedly as he picked up the mallet and raised it high above his head, "…to _die_ for~!"

The bell at the top of the tower remained silent... as a terrified scream rang throughout the night air...

* * *

As William briskly followed after his understandably upset colleagues, he could only hope that Grell wouldn't make _too_ much of a scene when he told that gentleman what for. A blood curdling scream suddenly ripped through the air… perhaps they still had a few things to iron out on the unspoken communication front. Wincing at the extra paperwork the redhead had likely just caused him, William finally rounded a corner and spotted Alan and Eric behind the tents. Coming through the passage between game stalls, William entered into the clearing and slowly approached Alan.

"Alan Hu- ah!" William began, before he felt a sharp tug to the back of his shirt collar. Turning his head sharply toward his assailant, he was met, unsurprisingly, with an eyeful of red. "Grell? Grell what on earmmmph-" William's confused protests were silenced by Grell's hand clamping over his mouth. If William had already forgotten how strong the redhead truly was after his resent prize winning performance, he was forcefully reminded as Grell proceeded to roughly drag him backward. Before he knew what was happening, William found himself trapped with Grell in a narrow dark space between two tents housing midway games of chance.

Grell wrapped an arm around his lover's waist, tightly holding him in place against his slighter frame, and agitatedly whispered, "What are you _doing_ Will?"

"Mmm ruusss tyyy-" William began, glaring out of his peripheral vision at Grell, who had yet to remove his hand from it's position sealing his lips shut. Meeting his death glare with a playful smirk, indicating the oversight had been entirely intentional, Grell finally removed his hand.

After a deep breath-turned-frustrated-sigh, William tried again. "I was _trying_ to offer my support. That man was incredibly rude! It seemed necessary to say… something." Internally, a tiny part of William was thankful that Grell had stopped him, as he really had no idea what he would have said to console the other man.

"Yes, but right now that's _Eric's_ job~!" Grell whispered in reply.

"First you constantly tell me I need to be more outgoing and make friends with my subordinates, now you tell me _not_ to? Which is it Grell?" William huffed in frustration.

"You really are hopeless aren't you? You've got to learn to read the atmosphere~!" Grell answered, his voice somehow betraying both exasperation and fondness.

"The atmosphere? I don't see how anything about the weather relates to the current situation!" William blurted out, utterly confused.

Grell's soft laughter met William's ears. "The weather? Oh Will, you are just too cute~! I mean the _mood~_!"

William could feel his face heat up as Grell continued to silently giggle, the sensation vibrating through them both with the redhead still holding onto him tightly. "The mood? Honestly, what on earth are you talking about Grell Sutcliff?" he grumbled, feeling more embarrassed by the second.

As the redhead's laughter finally died down, Grell settled his chin on his lover's shoulder and used the hand not currently holding William in place to turn his head toward Alan and Eric, who stood a yard or two away. "Just watch Will, you might learn something." Grell enigmatically whispered before bringing his arm down to join it's fellow in circling his partner's waist, snuggling against him and sighing contentedly.

William thought it terribly rude to watch the people he had recently begun to consider friends from the shadows like this, but with Grell plastered to his back he didn't really have much choice but to comply if he didn't wish to make a scene. Frowning, William turned his attention to his two subordinates.

* * *

Alan clenched his fist around the cheap trinket, the thin metal nearly snapping under the strain…

"_Alan_."

…It wasn't as though this was the first time he had been forcefully reminded of his shortcomings, had been mortified by his weakness. It had happened time and again, and with increasing frequency it seemed. He was never quite good enough, fast enough, strong enough…

"Alan!"

…Alan's heart hammered in his chest as a storm of anger, frustration, humiliation and shame raged within him. _Why? Why did it have to be in front of my co-workers? In front of my boss! _A broken sob escaped his lips as a sharp pain ripped through his chest. _No… not now… no… please… no no NO…_

"**Alan**!"

Gasping, Alan snapped his head up to meet Eric's worried emerald gaze. Strong warm hands were gripping his shoulders, anchoring him, keeping him from being swept away by that sea of emotion and pain. Eric's eyes softened as he brought a hand up to gently card through the brunette's hair. "Thought I'd lost you for a minute there." he breathed, the beginnings of a smile forming on his lips. "You ok?"

Alan hated himself at moments like this… when he felt weakest of all. He could face the agony of the Thorns of Death, the looks of pity from his co-workers, the constant knowledge that each day could be his last, all with his jaw set and his head held high. But when Eric, his kind earnest _wonderful_ Eric, would look at him with such utter faith and love, so sure of his partner's strength… it was moments like this that Alan felt as though he would shatter the most. Eric loved him, he trusted him, believed in him, and Alan hated to let him down. Alan wanted to prove to him that his faith was not misplaced; that he didn't need Eric's comforting or support to be strong. Only… at moments like this… he _did_.

Inhaling deeply, taking in he and Eric's mingled breath along with the balmy summer air, Alan felt himself relax as the pain subsided somewhat. Alan gently removed Eric's hand from it's position tangled in his hair and brought it down beside them. He had intended to release his hand, feeling weak enough as it was without having to hold on to his lover, though as Eric's calloused fingers intertwined with his and gently squeezed, Alan found himself squeezing back. "Yes… I… I'm alright now." Alan whispered in reply.

"That guy was a real prick Alan, don't let him get to you." Eric murmured, embers of anger smoldering in his eyes at the thought of the humiliation his lover had suffered.

Alan sighed and looked away, unable to meet Eric's gaze. "Yeah… I know" he breathed. Alan laughed darkly as his eyes fell on the tiara clutched tightly in his hand. Clenching his teeth, he extended his arm to throw the reminder of his weakness in a nearby trash can.

Eric quickly caught Alan's wrist, a playful smirk growing on his features. "Hey! You won that for me didn't you? I won't have you throwing out my prize!" he exclaimed as he deftly snatched the tiara from his lover's grasp.

"Eric…" Alan sighed, "…you don't have to…"

"Oh, don't think I'm doing it to save your feelings!" he replied with a wink before lowering his voice, "I just think it will look great with a _certain_ apron." Eric purred with a wicked grin.

Alan felt his face heat up at Eric's comment, only to feel as though it were on fire as Eric lifted the cheap little tiara to rest upon his blonde mop of hair. With Eric's unique half poofy, half braided hair style, the tiara sat rather crooked and looked far too small to be worn by a grown man.

* * *

As the scene went on, William only grew more and more confused. One moment Alan was looking thoroughly depressed, and Eric's solution was… to put on a tiara? _Why_ was Grell making him watch this? "What is he thinking? He looks positively ridiculous!" William mumbled.

"Maybe… but look at _Alan_…" Grell whispered with a soft smile.

_How could anyone look anywhere but Eric Slingby after such a display?_ Somehow managing to tear his eyes away from the spectacle the blonde was making of himself, William's gaze shifted to Alan. _What exactly am I meant to see by looking at Ala… oh…_

Alan's eyes were shining. A smile lit up his face as he gazed up at his idiotic companion. Gone was the haunted look in his eyes, the tense lines on his face, all replaced by a look of joyful mirth, seemingly brought about by Eric's sacrificed dignity. William's eyes widened as he took in the sight, his arms rising with a mind of their own to grasp his lover's arms wrapped around his waist.

* * *

Try as he might, Alan couldn't stop the giggles that erupted from his lips. "Eric! What on earth? Are you _mad_?" he laughed, his hand held to his mouth in a token attempt to control himself.

"Mad about _you_." Eric unabashedly exclaimed, a smirk stretching across his face.

"Oh God Eric! You're _awful_!" Alan managed to say good naturedly in between his laughter. "You have got to be the sappiest man I have ever met…" he said with a bright smile, his chuckles subsiding as he reached up to caress his partner's face, "…and I absolutely love you for it."

Eric smiled warmly and rested his forehead against Alan's as he brought a hand to tangle in his chestnut hair. "I love you too Alan. Don't you ever let anybody make you think you're weak…" Eric leaned back and kissed Alan's forehead, "…you're the strongest person I know Alan."

Alan felt tears well up in his eyes at the honest conviction in Eric's voice. "Not without you" he whispered while gently caressing his lover's face.

"Alan."

Eric leaned forward slightly, wetting his lips and pulling his lover closer… when the metal tiara glimmered in the carnival lights, sending Alan into a fit of giggles once more. "Oh Eric, please… take it off!" Alan panted while clutching his sides, "I just can't take you seriously with it on!"

Eric frowned for a moment as his lover's hysterics denied him a kiss, but a smirk quickly replaced the expression as he took hold of Alan's chin and tipped his face up to quickly claim his lips. As he leaned back with a satisfied smile, Eric removed the tiara and chuckled, "Alright, alright! Hey…" Eric's eyes cast about, clearly looking for something, "…where's Grell? He might want it."

Seemingly taking that as his cue to come out of hiding… Grell made his presence known. "Aaaaaa~ Will~! You want to do it out _here_… in the open? You bad boy~! What if someone sees us?" the redhead squealed with delight as he quickly spun his lover around and jumped him, wrapping his legs around William's trim waist and smiling mischievously.

The shock of Grell's actions coupled with the public setting and the presence of his coworkers sent William's finely tuned Make-Grell-behave-on-the-job reactions into overdrive. Grabbing a fistful of Grell's hair with lightning speed, William yanked hard and sent the redhead tumbling to the ground. In a flash of steal, William's deathscythe pressed threateningly against Grell's panting chest. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff. This kind of behavior is unacceptable on the cloc-" William paused as his brain finally caught up and took in his surroundings. Yes, they were in the human world, and yes, Alan and Eric were in fact present, but this wasn't a _mission_. They were on… a date. "… on a… well… that is… this behavior is inappropriate!" he finished, a flustered blush spreading across his cheeks as he coughed awkwardly and removed the scythe before helping his lover up.

No one was surprised at Grell's excited reaction to being manhandled and pinned to the ground, nor the small pout that followed as William calmed down and dismissed his deathscythe. The redhead's good spirits quickly returned however as he turned to address Alan and Eric. "I can't believe the gall of that man~! Anyone can clearly see that _I'm_ the only Princess around here~! And one to _die_ for at that~!" Grell exclaimed with his trademark pose and seemingly boundless energy.

Alan laughed softly and took the tiara from Eric, perching it instead on top of Grell's head. "Indeed you are Grell. I think it suits you much better than Eric." the brunette said with a wry smile.

"Of _course_ it does~! What do you think Will~! Aren't I beautiful~?" the redhead asked, tossing his hair dramatically and posing for his lover.

William raised an eyebrow and dryly replied, "…stunning." Paying Grell's continued antics no mind, William turned his attention to Alan. Boldly placing a hand on his subordi- on his _friend's_ shoulder, William solemnly spoke. "That man… he was _wrong_ Alan Humphries." Feeling as though he should say more in this situation, but not sure what exactly, William merely nodded and squeezed the other man's shoulder before releasing it.

Alan nearly teared up, thoroughly moved by the show of support from his friends. Unable to meet their eyes, Alan looked down and willed his voice not to shake with emotion as he softly spoke. "Th-thank you. All of you."

Alan subconsciously gripped his shirt above his heart as another sharp pain shuddered through him. Today had been the most fun he'd had in a long time, but it had been exhausting. Any extended period of time spent with Grell was exhausting to begin with, but the shear roller coaster of emotion he had just experienced was more tiring than any ride that could be found at this small traveling carnival. If he wasn't careful, he was liable to have an attack right there, which Alan would like to avoid at all costs. Not only would it be humiliating after William and Grell had been so supportive of him, but it would no doubt put a damper on an otherwise pleasant (if not _unusual_) evening.

As always, Eric was extremely perceptive to his lover's silently growing distress. Wrapping an arm around the brunette in a way that could be flirtatious, and could just as easily support his fatigued lover, Eric smiled broadly and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gettin' kinda tired of this carnival…" his smile morphed into a playful smirk as he continued, "…and I'm getting' kinda anxious to get _this_ one into _bed_." he said with such masterful inflection as to indicate that his bedtime intentions with the shorter man were anything but honorable. Alan didn't know whether to be grateful for his lover giving a believable reason why he would want to cut the date short, or smack him for saying something like that in front of their coworkers. Blushing bright crimson, Alan decided on both.

Grell giggled and replied, "Well aren't you two love birds cute~!" Rounding on his lover, the redhead suggestively fondled William's tie as he leaned against him and whispered, "I think I might be ready for bedtime too~!"

"G-Grell!" William sputtered, a blush coloring his cheeks as he tried, with little success, to shove his lover away.

Alan found a small smile amidst the pain building within him. At least he wasn't the only one embarrassed. "Well we'll leave _you_ two love birds to it then." he replied, chuckling softly. Stepping forward, Alan hugged Grell lightly, coughing a bit as Grell returned the hug far too enthusiastically against his aching chest. As Grell said his fond farewells to Eric, Alan turned to William. He nearly laughed as William tensed up and looked positively terrified at the thought of Alan hugging him as well.

Smiling fondly, Alan extended his hand. Taking William's hand in a firm grip and shaking, Alan quietly spoke. "I glad you decided to come tonight William… honestly." Alan couldn't resist smirking slightly as he teasingly added the familiar ending to his sentence.

William nearly jumped out of his skin as Eric slung his arm around his supervisor's shoulders and had the audacity to… ruffle his hair! "Yeah! You aren't half as bad as we all made you out to be back at the office!" Eric teased, a smirk on his lips and laughter in his eyes.

William raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to keep a closer eye on his subordinates, to ensure that they were at least getting some _work_ done while badmouthing their superior. Shrugging out of the friendly embrace as gracefully as possible, William straightened his glasses and haltingly replied, "I… well… yes. Th-thank you... perhaps we should do this again at a… a later date."

As his subordinates murmured their agreement and waved goodbye as Alan and Eric walked off, William finally released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It was over… his first real date… and he had survived. Feeling tension slowly beginning to leave his frame, William turned his attention back to his lover. Grell was still wearing that ridiculous tiara, his arms crossed and a smirk on his ruby lips as he observed his lover.

"What? If you intend to criticize my behavior or decorum this evening, I would rather not hear it Grell Sutcliff! I feel that I did very well all things considered! As to _your_ degenerate behavior, I believe I also handled _that_ quite we-mmmmph" William snapped, suddenly feeling self conscious as his lover stared at him, only to be cut off once again by Grell's habit of kissing him midsentence.

Being utterly frazzled by the evening's events, physically and emotionally drained, and with the two of them _finally_ alone, the redhead's soft warm lips pressed against his, William let the dam break. Finally letting go of his iron clad restraint, William sighed and melted into the embrace.

When Grell finally pulled away, he wore a brilliant smile as he laughed and replied, "You did beautifully Will~! You were a gentleman to _die_ for."

Embarrassed all over again at his apparent overreaction, William blinked owlishly at his lover's praise. Though he would never admit it, Grell's enjoyment of the evening had been his primary concern, and William allowed a tiny corner of his heart to soar with pride at the knowledge that he had succeeded. "I… well… good." he sighed, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Grell's, finally truly relaxing.

His relaxation was once again short lived as Grell posed him a question. "Say Will… would _you_ wear a tiara just to make me smile?"

Blushing as he couldn't help but visualize the ludicrous request, William stammered in reply, "H-honestly Grell… what an absurd question…"

Grell raised an eyebrow and studied his lover's eyes, William actually squirming minutely under the intense scrutiny. Suddenly Grell seemed to find whatever answer he was looking for, and with a blinding smile, the redhead quickly removed the tiara and placed it squarely on William's head. "Yes, it really was absurd… especially when we both know the answer..." Grell giggled as he pulled his indignantly sputtering lover in for a passionate kiss.

* * *

To be continued...


	11. Glasses Are Important

_My life, oh teh drama! But fear not, for I have not been idle (even though it seems like it). I have been working on a bit of an arc in the story, so expect 3 or 4 more chapters relatively soon, as they are already rough drafts. I'm going somewhere with this I promise XD Sorry for slow updates, I promise I have not and will not forget about this story! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and favs and whatnot, and just thanks for sticking with me! After all that wait, I hope I don't disappoint! There's a bit of a reference to the Shinigami OVA here, so if you haven't seen it… see it now because it's awesome!_

_It's the early 1900's and Grell has an overseas assignment._

* * *

**Glasses Are Important**

"Will, have you seen my shoes~?"

William huffed in mild irritation as the vague question floated into the bathroom over the sound of rushing water. The simple answer of course was 'everywhere', as pairs of the redhead's various high heels, boots and slippers could be found strewn about in any number of places. Grell had to have over three dozen pairs that, despite William's constant fight against clutter, seemed to find their way beside the door, under the coffee table, in the laundry room, and in any given closet. William reached blindly to grasp the lone shampoo bottle not perfumed with various fruit or floral scents, "I can only assume you are referring to your work shoes, as that is what you _should_ be getting ready for, in which case I believe they are in the foyer."

"Not those~! I mean the red stiletto heels~!" Grell called back, clearly dismayed.

Vaguely making out something about stiletto heels over the roar of water cascading over his ears as he rinsed the shampoo from his scalp, William frowned. _Aren't those the pointy ones?_ "Those hardly seem appropriate for going on assignment Grell Sutcliff" he lightly scolded as he reached forward and felt for the tap, turning it off and pulling back the curtain.

In the absence of sight, as he had yet to put on his glasses, William's senses were slightly more astute, which allowed him to hear Grell's irritated sigh from the neighboring room all the better.

"They're not just for work Will, they're for work in _Paris_~! You can't send a girl out on assignment in the fashion capital of the world and expect her to wear just any old thing!" Grell snapped. A growl issued from the adjoining bedroom as William heard muffled thuds and bumps, as though the redhead were tearing the closet apart, which wouldn't have surprised William in the least. Grell was uncharacteristically serious when it came to his wardrobe at the best of times, but lately the redhead had seemed particularly on edge. His temper was quicker than usual, nearly biting William's head off at the drop of a hat, especially when work was mentioned… _especially_ his upcoming assignment.

"I expect you to wear whatever will enable you to complete your assignment as quickly and efficiently as possible. You aren't there to win a beauty contest…" William replied tiredly as he began to towel himself dry. William knew that Grell likely wouldn't leave the house without those blasted shoes, no matter what he said on the matter. In fact, William honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Grell _did_ somehow find his way into a beauty contest in Paris. The redhead was usually fairly reliable about doing his job (the non-paperwork half at any rate), but when faced with the City of Lights and all of its temptations, it really was anyone's guess what mischief Grell would get up to when not under his supervisor's watchful gaze.

"Just who do you take me for Will? I'll be there to do my job, so what business is it of yours what shoes I wear!" Grell snapped as another bundle of who knows what thudded against the wall.

William's eyes narrowed at his lover's outburst. "As your supervisor it most certainly is my business Grell Sutcliff!" he snapped in return, bristling at the redhead's attitude. "You know the way you've been acting lately; it's almost as if you don't want to go! Perhaps I should send Ronald Knox to Paris and give you overtime instead!"

"Well maybe you should!" the redhead shouted.

William froze as the activity in the bedroom ceased, the whole house seeming to fall under a deadly calm. Grell was willing to do weeks of overtime and let Ronald have all the fun marauding about Paris? Something was clearly wrong, and for once, William's concern overrode his irritation enough for him to calmly ask, "Grell, what on earth has gotten into you? I chose you for this assignment not only because you are the most proficient at French, but because I was also under the impression that you enjoyed Paris…" he trailed off, more than a bit confused by the redhead's seeming contempt for the assignment William had thought would have been a treat for him.

"It's not that I don't want to go… I love Paris… it's just… won't you miss me?" Grell mumbled, the last bit coming out so quietly William had to strain to hear it as he reached blindly for a shirt he had placed on the counter within easy reach. That certainly hadn't been what he had been expecting to hear. He hadn't given it much thought… _would_ he miss Grell?

As William put a leg through his trousers, a contemplative frown on his lips, Grell continued. "I mean, you said it will be a long assignment, since the French branch is short on personnel, what with the humans having their silly little 'World War'… but we've never been apart for so long. I've been absolutely _dreading_ it Will, knowing how much I'll miss you~! I even packed one of your shirts, just so I can smell you to help me sleep at night~! But you don't seem upset at all that I'm leaving!" the redhead declared, his voice gaining strength and emotion with each word.

William blushed at the notion that Grell would want a shirt of his to comfort him into sleep while they were apart. Though the notion was of course ridiculous, he couldn't help but be almost… touched. William quickly stomped on the tender emotions blossoming inside of him. This was absurd! It was a simple, albeit _long_, assignment that he himself had given Grell as his supervisor! Yes, the house would no doubt be a bit quieter… a bit lonelier, but William was more than confident that he and Grell would both easily survive the few weeks of separation.

"There is no need for hysterics Grell Sutcliff! It will only be for a few weeks, which I know you are more than capable of surviving, and further mor-" as William fastened the last button of his trousers and reached for the spot on the counter that _always_ held his glasses, he felt his stomach drop out from under him. His fingers fanned out, reaching for the familiar frames… and felt nothing but cool marble. "G-Grell… have you seen my glasses?" William stammered, trying not to panic as his vision provided him only blurry shapes and shadows.

"I don't know William, though there's no need to get _hysterical_, I'm sure you'll find them. I've my own things to find." Grell replied coldly, clearly angry from William's earlier reply.

William clenched his teeth and fought to calm his breathing. They had to have just been shoved to the side, or perhaps had fallen. Running his hands along the counter top and finding nothing remotely glasses shaped, William fell to his knees and began to search the floor, his hands moving more frantically as his finger's grasped nothing but air.

Feeling anger at the redhead's refusal to help, William latched onto the emotion, hoping it would overwhelm the growing fear his near blindness brought on. "This isn't funny Grell! I need those glasses!"

"I've been getting ready to leave for _days_ and I haven't heard one word about how you'll feel when I'm gone, if you'll even feel anything at all! Now you're panicking at the loss of your bloody spectacles! Why don't you need me like that! Shouldn't I mean more to you than a stupid pair of glasses!" Grell shouted as he could be heard storming down the hall into the living room.

"Grell! Gre-uuph…" William grunted in pain as he clipped the doorway in his attempt to follow the irate redhead, "…you are being completely unreasonable! You know I can't see without them, I _need_ them!" he shouted, his panic and anger evident in his voice.

"Then by all means, you two can have each other!" Grell shouted furiously, as though he were a jealous lover who had just stepped in on William having a tawdry affair with his spectacles. Before William could even begin to process the absurdity of such a notion, his thoughts were interrupted by the heart stopping sound of glass shattering against the hardwood floor.

William immediately fell to his knees toward the noise's origin, his fears about his glasses' fate confirmed as he felt the sharp sting of broken glass press into his palm, slicing the sensitive flesh. Sightless eyes stared forward in disbelief as he processed what Grell had just done.

"W-Will. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I found them on the counter earlier while you were in the bath and took them… so they wouldn't fall… but then we started fighting… and I… I didn't think… I didn't think they would break. It's just… you seemed so desperate and I… I wanted you to… to need _me_ like that. Will…" Grell breathed, seemingly in shock at his own actions.

William sighed as his growing anger deflated somewhat upon hearing the redhead's obvious remorse. The damage had already been done, and no amount of shouting at his lover would mend the shards of glass littering the floor. "No Grell, you don't want that" he replied softly.

Light footsteps came closer, until the blur of crimson in the distance formed the distinct shape of his red haired lover. Grell gingerly took William's bleeding hand and inspected the wound before tutting softly, helping him to his feet and leading him to the bathroom. As he turned on the warm water and gently cleaned and bandaged the cut, Grell replied quietly, "Of course I do. If you don't need me… what's to stop you from getting tired of me?"

William took a moment to imagine getting tired of Grell. Dispite the endless complications the redhead brought to his once relatively normal life, William still had trouble picturing such a thing. Sighing with frustrated fondness (a cocktail of emotions William never realized could coexist… until he met Grell Sutcliff), he replied quietly, "You want to know something Grell? Sometimes, I hate my glasses."

By the rapid movement and shifting of colors in front of him, William could tell Grell had turned to look at him, no doubt shocked by his statement. Glasses were what marked a shinigami, it was rule number one. "I hate how reliant I am on them. I'm crippled without them. I hate that feeling of complete reliance. I resent it. I never want to need you like that Grell."

William was shocked at how much easier it was to talk like this to his lover when he couldn't quite clearly make out his facial expression and gauge his reaction. It allowed him to finally stop processing, stop _thinking_, and just say what he felt. "I believe that if you were no longer with me, I would most certainly continue to function. I would still go to work, eat, sleep, and go on as I always had. You aren't like my glasses, which I have no choice in needing. I have to have them to see, whether I like it or not. But you… with you, I have a choice. I _choose_ to have you by my side. Because even if I can technically function without you… I don't want to. Without you… everything feels… out of sorts. So no, I don't need you Grell… but I _want_ you."

"Will…" the redhead gasped, before he buried his face in the crisp linen of William's white shirt. William immediately frowned as he imagined an imprint of his lover's face on his pristine dress shirt courtesy of Grell's makeup. Though just as he was about to shove him away before too much damage was done, William felt Grell shaking against him as something hot and wet soaked through the fabric onto his shoulder. Grell was… crying. Without a word, as he wasn't entirely sure what to say, William wrapped his arms around his lover and stroked his hair. Honestly, his shirt was likely to be ruined by now, but as William held Grell for the last time for who knew how many weeks, he supposed he would just have to wear his jacket all day to cover the stain.

As Grell's shivering ceased, his head resting against his lover's shoulder as he sniffled softly and nuzzled at his neck, William felt that he had finally found an answer to the redhead's question that had started all this. "About what you asked me before… yes."

Grell's slightly blurry face appeared in front of him as a line of crimson that had to be an eyebrow rose in confusion. "Yes what?"

"Yes… I-I will miss you" William stated as matter-of-factly as he could, absolutely refusing to blush.

With the help of the vivid crimson lipstick the redhead was so fond of, William could make out a sly smile spread across Grell's face. "What will you miss most about me Will?" he asked teasingly, his moment of vulnerability gone in a flash as he returned to his old flirtatious self.

"Oh honestly Grell, don't be tacky!" William grumbled, his brows furrowed in disapproval.

"Come on Will… pleeeease~!"

"Well I certainly won't miss your whining Grell Sutcliff!" William sighed as Grell's attention remained focused on him with what appeared to be his bottom lip protruding in a pout. "I suppose I'll miss… your company."

"Is that all~?" Grell asked with faux innocence.

William rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation, somehow not surprised that his response wouldn't be enough to satisfy the redhead. "Oh honestly Grell Sutcliff! If you must know, I'll miss your constant pestering, your often burnt cooking, your rather _aggressive_ neck massages, your entirely inappropriate innuendo at every available opportunity, your infernally complicated lingerie-" William took a deep breath as he realized he was nearly shouting… though Grell didn't seem to mind in the least if the wide smile he wore was any indication. Seeing that smile, William continued in a softer tone, the words escaping his lips before he had a chance to rein them in, "I'll miss you bothering me in my office every day… and falling asleep beside me every night…"

Grell giggled softly at William's tender admission. Grinning mischievously, Grell stroked his lover's cheek and leaned in to whisper against his lips, "I'm not too sure how keen he'd be on the sleeping with you bit, but I ma~y have told Ronald to come visit you in your office while I'm away, just so my Will won't be lonely" he finished off his statement with a playful peck to William's lips.

William smiled slightly despite himself. "Honestly, what am I to do with you Grell Sutcliff?"

Grell's hands slid to threaten the knot on William's tie as he purred, "Mmmm… I have an idea… but I'm not sure we'd have enough time before work…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter and help me find my coat and gloves, seeing as how I can't find them myself thanks to your handiwork" William grumbled as he shooed the redhead's wandering hands away.

"I _said_ I was sorry Will! Besides, it's not that bad! You can get a temporary standard issue pair at the office today while they fix yours" Grell replied as he crossed his arms and huffed, though there was no real irritation in his tone.

William raised an eyebrow. "It most certainly _is_ that bad! Honestly, a shinigami is nothing without their glasses! In fact, I even seem to remember a _certain_ _someone_ telling me that glasses are important."

Grell smirked. "Who would ever say a silly thing like that?"

"…the only person in the world more important to me than those glasses"

"Aaaa~ so there _is_ a romantic hiding somewhere in there~!" Grell cooed excitedly, the blurred outline of his crimson outfitted body wiggling in delight.

Reaching up on reflex to adjust glasses that were no longer there, a lightly blushing William frowned and replied "Honestly, don't get used to it. That was merely to hold you over while away on assignment."

"Oh you're too sweet Will~! Perhaps I'll get you a souvenir from Paris~! Some dusty old French books? Wine? Maybe some more infuriatingly complicated lingerie?" the redhead asked, purring the last gift suggestion rather seductively.

William frowned as he pictured the very likely scenario of Grell out lingerie shopping while he was _meant _to be working. "Honestly, that won't be necessary, just follow your superior's orders and try not to cause too much trouble."

"Are you _sure_ Will? Maybe I could learn the cancan for you~!"

"I would be happier if you learned to do your paperwork in a timely manner." William dryly replied.

Grell simply laughed softly at his lover's entirely predictable response as he pulled him by his tie into the bedroom to fetch his vest, suit jacket and gloves. After helping William into the garments, despite his insistence that while he was basically blind he was by no means _helpless_, Grell took his bulging suitcase in one hand… and grasped his lover's hand in the other.

William opened his mouth immediately to protest, only to realize that he really had no choice, as he couldn't exactly see where he was going. Blushing and grumbling about careless redheads handling their supervisor's glasses more carefully, for the first (and most likely only) time, William allowed Grell to hold his hand as they walked to work, the sharp clicking of Grell's crimson stiletto heels echoing as they went.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	12. Penny Fabulous

_Wow, so Nimbus (whom I have long been a huge fan of) has drawn a gorgeous picture inspired by this chapter! Go check out the link on my profile page. Thanks so much Nimbus!_

* * *

**Penny Fabulous**

_It's official, Grell has ruined me._

That was the ultimate conclusion William had come to shortly after the redhead had left for his assignment in Paris. That first night had been a bit lonely, but nothing William couldn't handle. He had taken the opportunity to make a dent in the London Dispatch branch's substantial backlog of forms. Everything had been going smoothly… until night fell and sleep utterly eluded him. How long had it been since he had slept in this bed alone, and since when was it so _big_? Without Grell's warmth beside him, the sheets felt scratchy and cold, without the familiar contours of the redhead's body snuggled against him, every lump and bump in the mattress was suddenly unbearable. Could this be why Grell had wanted to take one of his shirts for some small measure of comfort? William growled in frustration. _This was completely ridiculous! I have gone decades sleeping in this very bed, and very much alone, without any problem! Surely I can go one night!_

At 2:13 am, he finally snapped. Even as he grumbled about the sheer foolishness of his actions, William sluggishly collected the red nighty Grell had worn the previous evening and slung it over the redhead's pillow. _This is only for tonight, and only because I need to sleep before work tomorrow! Honestly, a full night's sleep is imperative for optimum work performance! _Scowling and utterly embarrassed, despite no one being there to see his moment of weakness, William held the pillow tightly and breathed deep. Rose water, musk perfume, cinnamon, and just a hint of machine oil from his beloved deathscythe… _Grell_.

The next evening, William was determined to continue his productive streak (and forget about his shameful sleeping behavior) by tackling the house. He and Grell tended the keep everything in good order in the first place, but as is often the case with house work, there are always projects to tackle if one has a mind to find them. After hours of dusting and scrubbing and organizing, William went to bed feeling tired, but accomplished. He barely had energy to feel the twinge of shame as he held Grell's pillow firmly to his chest and drifted off to sleep.

The following evening… overtime. Again. By the time he stumbled home and fell into bed, William was asleep before his head hit the lingerie clad pillow.

It was the forth evening Grell had been away on assignment when William T. Spears was forced to face a harsh truth. He was bored. Completely and utterly bored out of his mind. Contrary to what his subordinates seemed to think, just because he was responsible didn't mean he _enjoyed_ paperwork! The stack he had done the first night had been more than enough take home work in William's opinion, and he wasn't inclined to do more of it tonight. Any and all conceivable house cleaning was done and he had been productive enough at work to thankfully escape overtime this evening. It was one of the rare occasions that William felt warranted excitement. With vast acres of peace and quiet on the horizon, William was well and truly free to do whatever he wished this evening… however…

Without Grell, things were simply too _quiet_. Before Grell had forcibly made himself a fixture in William's once neat and orderly life, the overworked dispatch manager would have relished a peaceful evening home alone. Now however, irritating as it was to admit to himself, William feared he had grown rather accustomed to Grell's seemingly endless chatter, the sound of his light footsteps, his laughter. Even bickering with his stubborn lover (which happened more frequently than perhaps it should, yet somehow less frequently than William would have imagined) would have been better than this deafening silence. As would the making up afterward, which William suspected was half the reason Grell started most of their rows in the first place. William could scarcely recall what it was he had done in his spare time before it had been filled with Grell. It appeared that somewhere along the way, the energetic redhead's presence had, absurd as it may seem, become its own sort of peaceful evening for William.

Of course it wasn't as though William never got any peace and quiet to enjoy a good book. Grell could be surprisingly considerate when the mood struck him. Make no mistake, when Grell wanted attention, nothing would stand in his way to getting it, least of all a few hundred well worn pages. Occasionally however, when the bags under William's eyes where particularly full, his perfect posture slumping minutely under the strain of a particularly stressful day, Grell would sometimes take pity on him. The redhead would smile softly and kiss his lover's cheek before 'suddenly remembering' a recipe he had been dying to try, or a project he had been meaning to work on. Then off he would scamper, allowing William some much needed alone (and _relatively_ quiet) time.

It is said that a Lady of society ought to have a wide range of hobbies and accomplishments. Grell, being the finest Lady of them all (or so he claimed) was no exception. He had taken over the spare bedroom almost immediately upon moving in, saying that if the study was William's domain, the guest room would be his space. William almost brought up the fact that Grell spent a healthy amount of time pestering him in "his" study, but decided he would rather have Grell's eccentric craft projects in one place… preferably one that could be shut off if necessary. There was only so much crimson clutter one could take after all.

Grell dabbled in many forms of arts and crafts, becoming competent at most while mastering none. William was convinced that Grell most definitely had the capacity and intellect to excel in any medium he chose, if only he possessed the attention span. Grell was an adventurous creature, always wanting something new; growing bored once he understood the basics and racing on to find something else to engage his tireless curiosity. It sometimes made William exhausted to even imagine being so restless, never able to settle on any one thing and be content. It also made him ever so slightly anxious… to know that _he_ seemed to be the one thing that Grell had remained focused on the longest… to wonder if the day would come when he suddenly failed to captivate the redhead.

William shook his head to clear such thoughts. Honestly, what on earth was he worrying about? Grell's affection for him bordered on obsession, there was simply no way he would grow tired of him. A flash of crimson eyes and a smug devilish grin flickered across his mind's eye. William clenched his teeth. _Filthy beast… vile… disgusting… who does he think he is… flirting with… with MY Grell!_ Widening his eyes at where his uncharacteristically possessive thoughts had taken him, William systematically loosened the clenched palms at his sides and took a deep breath. He was not jealous, certainly not. _I'll read, yes, I'll just read and clear my head of all this nonsense._

Sharp emerald eyes analytically scanned the perfectly filed shelves of William's modest library before settling on his chosen entertainment, Pride and Prejudice. Not that he was craving any sort of silly romantic sentiment in Grell's absence mind you, he was merely interested in the fascinating social dynamics of the Regency period. Honestly. Determined to put thoughts of that wretched demon out of his mind once and for all and fully enjoy a truly quiet evening, William settled into a comfortable seat by the fire and opened his book with a contented sigh. _It is a truth universally acknowledged…_

He had scarcely made if 15 pages before snapping the book shut in disgust. How was it that he could read without a care in the world while Grell was banging about in the kitchen, yet now the mere turn of a crisp page seemed to echo through the empty house like the crack of a gunshot? Without the white noise, or as Grell would no doubt insist, _red_ noise of the home's other occupant, William was suddenly keenly aware of every sound. The dripping of the faucet down the hall, the creaking of the floorboards as the chill of evening began to set in, even the sound of his own breathing was monumentally distracting! William groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he put away the book in defeat.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how one looked at it, William always had a faithful standby to rely on should he find himself with too much time on his hands and absolutely nothing else to do. William sighed in defeat as he fished through the study drawer and pulled out his ledger. As he reluctantly settled into the perverse sort of dreadful comfort that forms and figures could always provide the diligent shinigami, William reached into his top drawer, only to have his fingers meet with empty space. Grell had taken his best red notation pen… again.

Knowing just where the thieving redhead was likely to have taken it, William braced himself for the wall of clutter he would no doubt face and opened the door to Grell's craft room. Grell insisted on calling it 'organized chaos', though as William surveyed the array of colorful bits and bobs scattered about, he felt as though the redhead were only half correct. All manner of fabrics and yarn (most in shades of red) were piled precariously in a corner near a pedal operated sewing machine. Numerous photos and lens attachments were strewn about a small table next to the camera the redhead had picked up years ago on a mission. Several canvases and sketch pads were propped in stages of partial completion along the wall opposite the window. William raised an eyebrow at the redhead's handiwork. Grell really was rather talented, in a way. Oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel and charcoal creations laid half finished, obvious skill evident in each unique piece, yet all of them giving off the casual air of an effortless doodle.

Turning his attention to the desk facing the window on the far wall, William got back to the task at hand. His pen would no doubt be in here, with half the ink gone no doubt, lost forever on a sketch or silly bit of poetry. After scanning the surface of the desk and coming away empty handed, William began a thorough search of the drawers. He felt a twinge of guilt, rifling through the redhead's private space as he was, though he quickly shook off the notion as he remembered just how many times Grell had done the same to him. Besides, he and Grell were partners, _lovers_, surely he had nothing… to… hide…

William's mind ground to a halt as he opened the bottom drawer… to see Grell on the cover of a penny dreadful. _What on earth?_ William narrowed his eyes and inspected the picture. There was no mistaking the long crimson hair and sultry grin… it was Grell… outfitted in a pirate's hat… knee high knickers and… a bar wench's top? Wait… was that a… a _bosom_? William came to the confusing revelation that this person appeared to be a _female_ version of Grell. Too intrigued to walk away now, his quest for a pen all but forgotten, William searched the publication for any indication of its origin.

"_Crimson Tide of Passion" by Angelina Spears._ William raised an eyebrow at the author's pen name as he turned the book over to read the back. _In the third installment of the wildly popular series, join the exotic and beautiful Pirate Captain Grellenore as she sails the high seas in search of booty~! Her arch nemesis, the dread Pirate Bastion, is back to try and steal Grellenore's ship… intent on fully enjoying the spoils of his conquest~! Meanwhile, a new cabin boy ready and willing to please his mistress joins the crew. No one can seem to resist the sultry maid's allure~! No one that is, but the only man she truly desires. Will Grellenore finally be able to melt the icy heart of the stern Commodore Lance, or will she be swept away by the encroaching crimson tide of passionate desire before she has the chance?_

_Oh good lord._ Not sure _how_ he should feel about Grell publishing short stories of pirate romance in human world penny dreadfulls, William's hand moved on its own accord to hastily flip through the pages… until his eyes fell on a familiar name. He was most definitely sure how he should feel about _this_! Glaring with such hatred that the book was in danger of catching ablaze from his eyes boring into it, William read…

"_Mmmmm Bassy, why try to board my ship, when you could just board me instead~?"_

"_It really would be wise of you to surrender quietly. Otherwise, things could get… messy" Bastion said, a devilish smirk adorning his strikingly handsome features as he cocked the flintlock pistol pointed between Grellenore's emerald eyes._

_Fearless as always, Grellenore met his smirk with a mischievous grin of her own. "But my darling, I'm rarely quiet about anything, especially when a handsome man has his gun cocked in front of me~! And I certainly wouldn't mind a little… mess" she purred, licking her full red lips seductively._

_The suggestive turn their conversation had taken wasn't lost on the raven haired man, and though his perfect features displayed an air of unaffected boredom, his dark crimson eyes seemed to glow with a hungry fire that scorched Grellenore to the core. "You really are quite uncouth" he declared as he slowly withdrew his pistol and stored it in its holster. Moving with lightning speed, Bastian grasped Grellenore's delicate chin and whispered dangerously, "Perhaps I should teach you how a proper lady ought to behave."_

"_I'm a frightfully slow learner I'm afraid. You may even have to punish me for it to sink in~!" Grellenore replied, her eyes half lidded with lust._

_His smirk returned. "Perhaps a spanking is in order?"_

"_Aaaaa~ Bassy!"_

William fairly ripped the page out in his haste to leave that particular scene far behind him. Grell and he would most _definitely_ be having a talk about his continued fascination with the 'dread Pirate Bastion' upon his return. Absentmindedly turning the pages as his rage slowly diminished, his eyes fell on another name he had a feeling he had seen somewhere before…

_Donald swaggered toward his buxom mistress, his golden hair tousled playfully by the salty sea breeze. "Just finished swabbing the deck Miss." A grin settled on his boyishly handsome features as he casually scratched the back of his head. "Anything else need doin' around here?"_

_A wicked grin slid across Grellenore's perfect ruby lips as she traced a finger down the front of the cabin boy's tunic, the wandering digit finally coming to rest on the hem of his breaches. "Mmm, I'm sure I can think of something for you to… do"_

_The young man smirked mischievously and followed the beautiful Pirate Captain inside her private quarters…_

William hastily turned the next several pages, blushing slightly and feeling inexplicably peeved with Ronald Knox all of a sudden. Skimming further, it seemed that while Grellenore was irresponsible enough to spend her time fornicating with her crew instead of doing some proper pirating, apparently she at least had the good sense to have the ship manned while she was… otherwise occupied. Her first and second mates were named… William rolled his eyes at Grell seemingly giving up _entirely_ on creativity… Erik and Allen…

_Allen coughed lightly, trying to hide the action from his faithful companion. It was no use however, as Erik glimpsed his friend's moment of weakness and rushed to his side._

"_Allen!"_

"_I'm fine Erik!" Allen snapped defensively, hating to be seen as weak by the man he most respected… the man he secretly loved._

"_You're not fine! You know you shouldn't be exerting yourself with your condition!" the taller man scolded as he gently grasped Allen's shoulders, longing to caress them reassuringly as a lover would, but holding himself back._

_Allen wanted to shove the taller man away and insist he was fine, but with Erik's strong warm hands holding him, only a thin layer of fabric separating them, Allen found himself unable to pull away. Looking away, sure his eyes would betray his longing, Allen asked softly, "Why are you always worrying about me Erik?"_

"_Because you won't worry about yourself… you always push yourself too hard… and I… I couldn't bear to lose you Allen. You mean too much to me…" Erik replied, his baritone voice resonating in his chest, allowing Allen to almost feel the other man's heartfelt declaration. The brunette was so caught up in the sound those of beautiful works echoing in harmony with his racing heart, that he gasped in shock as he felt Erik's warm forehead rest against his. Erik's soft breath caressed Allen's lips as he whispered, "…you mean everything to me."_

_Allen's hands seemed to move with a mind of their own to tangle in Erik's dark blonde locks as he gazed into his eyes. "Erik… I…" he murmured, struggling for the right words as he lost himself in those emerald pools._

"_I love you" the pair whispered in unison as their lips connected…_

William raised an eyebrow, as what followed would most definitely count as 'exerting one's self' in his humble opinion. Honestly, did no one simply do their _job_ on this ship! Somehow, despite everyone on board seemingly being _indisposed_, Grellenore's ship managed to dock in a port town, where she would no doubt have another illicit rendezvous. William found himself shifting to the edge of the crimson upholstered seat he had somehow found himself in as he happened upon the name he had been secretly both fearing and hoping to find…

_Grellenore's gaze met the cold piercing stare of her relentless pursuer, Willem J. Lance. Though they had once been inseparable in their youth, Willem had chosen a career with the Royal Navy, and Grellenore… she had chosen freedom on the high seas. Her decision to become an outlaw would forever separate them… or so she had thought. Much to her secret delight, Willem had been searching tirelessly to find her and bring her to justice, or so he said. Though whenever their paths crossed, he could never quite bring himself to detain her, to clip her beautiful crimson wings and lock her in a cage._

_Smiling seductively, Grellenore lightly caressed the tense muscle along Willem's jaw, "My darling Will, to what do I owe the pleasure?"_

_Willem narrowed his striking emerald eyes behind his spectacles and swatted the redhead's delicate hand away. "The pleasure will be mine, when I finally see your crimes brought to justice."_

_Only spurred on further by the man's resistance, Grellenore ran both hands up Willem's broad chest before settling to cradle his handsome face. Looking deep into those frozen orbs, she smiled teasingly and whispered, "I'd settle down for you, you know. Be a proper military wife. I'd never sail again; you need only say the word."_

"_Liar" Willem hissed softly, almost sadly, in reply._

_Grellenore's eyes softened as she dropped all pretense of seduction and whispered softly, "I miss you Will… don't you miss me?"_

_Willem's gaze shifted away. "Certainly not" he murmured, sounding as though he was trying to convince himself just as much as the lovely woman before him._

"_Hmm, I suppose that makes us both liars then" she whispered before softly claiming Willem's lips for the briefest of moments, before pulling away and giving him a playful wink. Before Willem had a chance to react, Grellenore had darted off into the night, once more out of his reach._

'_Someday…' Grellenore thought fervently as she ran further from her pursuer, further from her true love, 'Someday my dear Willem, I will set you free from the chains you've locked yourself in. I'll free you my darling, and we can finally be together'…_

William sighed with relief. _Honestly, that wasn't so bad. It was proper, reserved… tasteful_. William nodded to himself and deemed the matter closed, before he allowed himself to dwell on how tasteless the rest of Grellenore's exploits were. He absolutely _refused_ to allow himself to wonder what would happen to the heroine and her true love in the next volume. Honestly.

Shaking his head as if to free himself from the story's grip, and finally remembering his purpose in Grell's lair, William spied his red pen in the open drawer that the manuscript had come from, as well as the task it had been used for. Below the pen was a sheet of notebook paper upon which Grell seemed to have been practicing… his signature? William's eyes widened. _Grell Spears. Mrs. Spears. Mrs. William T. Spears. Mrs. Grell Spears. Grell Spears…_

_Oh my._

Taking the pen in a half daze, William put back the penny dreadful and shut the drawer. Regardless of _what_ Grell had been thinking when he decided to pen a secret series of racy romance novels, there was no mistaking what Grell had in mind when he wrote out that sheet in the drawer. _Grell Spears. It has a ring to it… a ring… but that's absurd! Who ever heard of two men marrying! Impossible! And things are fine as they are! Nothing is broken, so there is no need to fix it! Still… we do live together… it might not be a bad idea… to make it official…_

Such were the fevered and increasingly confusing thoughts that ran through William's head as he absently put away his untouched work, along with his red pen, and prepared for bed. He certainly wouldn't be able to get any work done with his thoughts in such a state. William had just likely been scarred for life by Grell's colorful literary offering, and now he had seen tangible proof that his lover wanted the two of them to marry. Grell often made comments about 'wife' this and 'wedding' that, but William hadn't really taken it seriously. Though by the sheer number of times the redhead's desired name had been obviously carefully and lovingly written, coupled with his increasingly frequent hints, Grell certainly seemed serious.

_Married? Yes, we live as if we are already married, and we most definitely care deeply for one another… but… for him to be my… my __**wife**__… because I certainly wouldn't be his wife… would we be each other's husbands? Oh honestly, the whole idea is absolutely absurd!_

William settled into bed, took a deep relaxing breath… and promptly froze, his eye twitching. Here he was, a grown man, lying in bed, automatically snuggling a pillow outfitted in crimson lingerie. _Absurd…_ _honestly._ Burying his face in the silky material out of sheer frustration and embarrassment, William inhaled deeply, frowning as he determined that most of Grell's scent had dissipated from the fabric in his absence. William sighed in utter defeat. Foreboding sheets of signatures and raunchy penny dreadfuls aside, William couldn't deny one simple truth. He dearly missed Grell.

_Marrying Grell would be utterly absurd… ridiculous… unheard of… but… perhaps… would it really be so bad? _Clinging desperately to his lover's pillow in a bed that felt far too large, William somehow settled into an uneasy sleep.

And so it was that William, equipped with bags under his eyes and an unusual fluttering in his stomach that he didn't like in the least, left the house precisely half an hour early. Honestly, William T. Spears would never allow a little thing like visiting the jeweler cause him to be late to work.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	13. Love Letters

_Here is my promised WillxPigeon story. I'm so so sorry XD I'll get to something not quite so stupid next chapter. I simply couldn't help myself! And yes, I realize that this isn't how carrier pigeons work, but Will gave it instructions in the manga, so let's assume shinigami dispatch has super smart pigeons!_

* * *

**Love Letters**

"…so _she_ said 'Did what hurt?' Right? So then _I_ said 'When you fell from heav-"

"Do you honestly have nothing better to do than regale me with tales of those ridiculous parties of yours!" William snapped as he pushed his newly repaired glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowned in disapproval. "Because if that is the case then I am confident I can find you something more productive to occupy your time Ronald Knox!"

"Awww, what's that sour look for senpai? That stick really givin' ya trouble today?" Ronald asked with a concerned expression on his youthful features.

William quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What stick?"

The blonde's concerned look morphed into a playful smirk. "The one that's always shoved up your arse."

Ronald had gotten entirely too good at ducking William's deathscythe these past three weeks. As the youngest member of his division popped up laughing and scratching the back of his head, William glared and changed tactics. "Overtime."

"Ah come on senpai! I was just messin' with ya! You'll never make any friends if you can't take a little joke!" Ronald whined, praying that his boss would reconsider his punishment. There was a party tonight after all!

William sighed tiredly. He supposed it was a testament to how comfortable Ronald had become with him that he had even attempted to make such an inappropriate joke at his expense. True to Grell's word, Ronald had dutifully followed his red haired senpai's orders to keep his boss company while he was away. William suspected that Ronald's dedication had much more to do with liking to get a rise out of him rather than desiring any sort of friendship, but he supposed it was nice to have the company. Sometimes. For _very_ small amounts of time. "I know very well about the party in General Affairs tonight… so I suppose I will let you off the hook this once…"

"You're a life saver boss!" the blonde exclaimed with a wide smile.

"…and let you complete your overtime tomorrow night" William finished, giving Ronald a dry look that said not to push his luck.

Ronald seemed to possess a bit more common sense than his crimson colleague and merely grinned sheepishly at failing to escape his punishment. "Ok ok. I guess I would've gotten worried if you'd completely let me get away with that" he chuckled lightly.

"Indeed" William muttered with vague disinterest as he discovered another error in his normally flawless paperwork and scowled. He had been slipping up entirely too often lately. With Grell gone three weeks now, a great number of soul collections in the field had fallen on him, without his clerical responsibilities being lessened at all of course. William had been on constant overtime for two straight weeks now, and he was exhausted.

For a diligent shinigami however, exhaustion and a heavy work load was nothing new. Why in his early days as a new recruit, William had worked collecting souls and filing paperwork nearly nonstop. Even now he could remember long hours filled with his assigned partner's wild laughter as he made entirely too much of a mess with his newly illegally modified deathscythe. He remembered how the young man seemed to spend more time hitting on him than paying attention to his 'to die' list. He remembered the strangely endearing redhead falling asleep all over his paperwork in the cubicle next to him at the end of a long day. William also remembered, on more than one occasion, scoffing at the puddle of drool ruining the form that served as the redhead's pillow even as he gently laid his coat over his partner's sleeping form…

"…so I've decided that I'm gonna run away with a demon and start a family. Maybe have a couple of demon spawn. I think they'd be pretty cute! Blonde hair, red eyes-"

"W-what on earth Ronald Knox! Don't tell me you're enamored with one of those filthy beasts as well!" William asked incredulously as he was torn out of his musings on the past by Ronald's alarming statement.

Ronald smiled cheerfully and laughed. "Well at least I know you're still awake! You were just staring off into space. What's up senpai? You're usually the one telling _us_ to pay attention."

Coughing lightly with embarrassment, William adjusted his glasses and stiffly replied, "I… that is… I have a great deal on my mind Ronald Knox."

"You really miss him don't you?" Ronald asked as he propped his chin up on his arm on William's desk and gave him a knowing look.

William almost sputtered incredulously and asked to whom exactly he was referring, but even he knew it was pointless. Thanks to Grell's gift for talking when he should be working, as well as his general euphoria at finally winning a spot in William's heart, the entire office knew of the deepening of their relationship approximately 15 minutes after work had started the following day. Years later, and William was certain there wasn't a shinigami in all of Great Britain (possibly the world) that didn't know of he and the redhead's relationship.

William would have liked to keep it a bit more under wraps, as relationships within ranks, especially between subordinate and superior, were heavily frowned upon. However, William quickly realized that a relationship with _Grell_ would be near impossible to hide. Luckily Grell was such a notorious trouble maker that even with the possible conflict of interest, no other divisions were eager to take the redhead on.

"I most certainly do not miss that nuisance! I'm merely busy!" he snapped, blushing ever so slightly at Ronald guessing _exactly_ what the source of his distraction had been.

"Uh huh, that's why you're writing with a red pen right?" Ronald asked with a smug grin.

William looked down in alarm at the bright crimson pen he had been using without realizing it. Glaring at the smug blonde, William replied, "Why don't you go find something productive to do Ronald Knox? I'm busy enough without you bothering me!"

"You could just write him you know."

"Do you want that overtime tonight!"

Ronald chuckled and put up his hands. "All right all right, message received!" The blonde hopped up and sauntered to the door. As he stood in the threshold, Ronald turned around and spoke genuinely, a kind smile on his boyish features, "You really should write him senpai. It'd make you feel better, and I'm sure it would make his day." Seeing his boss's intensified glare, Ronald's eyes widened as he sensed danger. Giving William a jaunty salute, Ronald darted out the door, shouting a promise to see him tomorrow as he fled.

William stared at the doorway, utterly motionless, as an intense battle raged within him. After half a minute of inner turmoil, William determinedly put down the red pen, picked up a black one, and got out a small piece of parchment…

* * *

"Mr. Feathers" William called out into the bustling aviary, scowling as he heard the bird keeper smother a laugh. William wondered what was so funny about the name he had bestowed upon the pigeon. It seemed an appropriate enough name, seeing as how the little fellow had an abundance of feathers, and William felt as though the 'Mr.' added a sort of whimsy that was seemingly required when naming small animals that could potentially be defined as cute.

Sure enough, William's favorite pigeon answered his call, swooping down to perch on his outstretched finger. A genuine smile found its way onto William's lips as he stroked his avian friend's breast, Mr. Feathers cooing appreciatively. William really was quite fond of the shinigami dispatch carrier pigeons. If only they were able to wear regulation glasses and hold a pen for paperwork, William was almost certain he would rather have the pigeons under his supervision, rather than the lot of slackers he seemed to be cursed with. Nothing in the birds' actions was wasted. They had a goal, they reached said goal, they came back. They certainly weren't distracted by demons or dress shopping or any number of other ridiculous things… unlike certain shinigami in his acquaintance.

Frowning as he was reminded of his objective, William guiltily took out the small rolled up parchment and secured it to Mr. Feather's leg. "Take this to Grell Sutcliff. You have my permission to peck him if he is doing something irresponsible."

* * *

Two days later, William arrived to find a small piece of parchment tied with a crimson ribbon lying on his desk…

_Dear Will,_

_Your stupid flying rat pecked me~! I miss you terribly Will, even if your love letter was the most unromantic thing I have ever read~! Would it have killed you to have added a bit of poetry? Anyway, yes, I have been following Jacquie's orders and staying out of trouble. He got a little upset when I painted all those poor soldiers a lovely shade of red when I collected their souls, but those trenches are just so dreary! But there have been enough demons around to keep me busy and I think Jacquie is starting to warm up to me~! I hope to see you soon my darling~!_

_Love, Grell_

William's eyebrow rose in confusion. Jacquie? Surely he doesn't mean… Jacques Chevalier! William had met the French Dispatch manager once or twice when he had had the privilege of attending shinigami conferences. He seemed a responsible and diligent chap, if not a bit cold and standoffish. Much like himself… and exactly Grell's type.

_Grell Sutcliff,_

_That was most certainly not a "love letter", but a status report! I don't want to hear anything back about you misbehaving and giving the London branch a bad name. You are to stop any sort of "painting" of the soldiers you are collecting, and it is completely inappropriate to refer to __Monsieur __Chevalier as "Jacquie". We are incredibly shorthanded here and I would be more than happy to call you back if you insist on causing trouble for our foreign colleagues._

_William_

_P.S. Mr. Feathers is not a "flying rat", __but a valued member of shinigami dispatch that you will treat with respect! _

_P.P.S "Unromantic" is not a word._

Satisfied with his response, William secured the message to Mr. Feather's waiting leg and sent him on his way.

* * *

Four hours into the start of his shift two days after his response and William was beginning to worry. William was more than confident that Grell was fine… it was Mr. Feathers he was worried about. Twenty minutes later, William learned that his fears had been justified. The loyal pigeon clamored through the window to his office looking ruffled and… oh good lord. As William got a closer look at Mr. Feathers, he was horrified to see that Grell seemed to have found some sort of lacquer and painted the poor bird's tiny talons bright crimson!

Feeling infinitely sorry for his avian colleague, William gently stroked his breast and removed Grell's reply. After being freed from his burden, Mr. Feathers quickly flew away to the safety of his perch. Shaking his head, William unrolled the parchment…

_My Darling Will,_

_Mr. Feathers? You are just too cute~! Though insensitive to a lady's needs as usual! She is clearly a MISS Feathers, I looked~! I followed your advice and had a little girl time with her though. I think she likes me! As for Jaquie, do I sense a hint of jealousy? He certainly is handsome, but he doesn't hold a candle to you~! You're the only man for me and I miss you every day~! _

_So if I cause a bit of trouble I can come home? I'm so tired of France! I spend much more time in those awful filthy trenches than in Paris. I haven't even had time to go shopping~!_

_All my love, Grell_

_P.S. Being such a stickler for proper grammar is very unromantic William~! _

Suddenly Mr. Feathers' haggard look made sense. Leave it to Grell to sexually harass even his avian colleagues! William almost informed Grell that it was impossible to determine a pigeon's sex from an external examination, but he feared for Mr. Feathers' life and sanity if Grell decided he needed a closer look. Besides, William had certainly never performed a thorough exam himself… perhaps he _was_ a she.

Either way, William decided to give the gender ambiguous pigeon a day off to recuperate before sending his reply.

* * *

The following day, after a long lonely evening of growing steadily more irritated by both Grell's behavior… and his prolonged absence, William arrived at work that morning and immediately sat down at his desk to write in swift sure strokes…

_Grell Sutcliff,_

_Be it a Mister or Miss, you are to refrain from harassing the dispatch carrier pigeons! It has been four weeks now that we have all been pulling overtime to cover for your absence, and you are spending your time engaging in feminine bonding with a pigeon! And you have the nerve to complain that you haven't had time for shopping? Honestly Grell Sutcliff, you have leant your "help" to the French branch long enough! I am sending in an immediate request for your return, upon which you will begin serving overtime for your irresponsible behavior. You should be ashamed of yourself Grell Sutcliff!_

_Love, William_

After hastily shoving the note in the holder on Mr. Feathers' leg and fairly throwing him (or her?) out the window, William immediately froze in terror as he realized what he had written at the end of the note without thinking. If he weren't so fond of Mr. Feathers, he would have shot him out of the sky with his deathscythe. As it was, he was still considering it, even as the pigeon became a speck on the horizon. He had actually written… his first "love letter". On company time no less! And he had inadvertently drug Mr. Feathers into his scandalous deed as well! William groaned and willed the blush he could feel spreading across his cheeks to subside. There was nothing for it now but to wait and hope Grell wouldn't make too much of a fuss over it.

* * *

Four days later, William's hopes were unfortunately dashed. It started with what sounded like a small hurricane of joyful shouting and squealing, followed by a telltale voice that simultaneously filled William with dread and made his heart race.

"Aaaaaaaaaa~! I'm back everyone~! Did you miss me? I know my Will did, because he LOVES me~! Seeee~!"

William's eyebrow twitched as he heard his newly returned lover apparently showing off his last message to his coworkers, eliciting cheers and wolf whistles from the idiots. The office door slammed open to reveal a fuming William T. Spears. Brandishing his deathscythe, the dispatch manager needed only point the weapon in the assembly's direction to send many of the younger and more easily spooked shinigami running to the safety of their cubicles. As Grell turned toward his coworker's source of panic, his radiant smile upon finally laying eyes on his lover once more nearly did William in. _God he is beautiful. _The redhead then flung himself at his boss, and William's reflexes kicked in.

Gracefully sidestepping Grell's joyful leap, William grabbed a generous handful of crimson hair and yanked hard, jerking the excited shinigami backward. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, stop causing such a commotion!" William snapped as he drug his lover into his office and shut and locked the door.

"Aaaaa~ I love it when you're so rough~! Will I missed you so mu-"

For the first time, Grell's words were brought to an abrupt end by William roughly shoving the redhead against his office door and kissing him senseless. Just as Grell was beginning to get overly enthusiastic with his hands, William pulled away just as abruptly, took a step back and straightened his suit. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, it has become quite clear to me that you simply aren't qualified for extended overseas missions" he stated matter-of-factly as he adjusted his glasses, acting as if nothing had happened.

Grell's knees had nearly turned to jelly, causing him to lean forward to cling to William's lapels. "Mmmm is that a promise~!"

William raised an eyebrow and smirked ever so slightly. "You brought this entirely upon yourself you know."

Before either of them had a chance to say (or heaven forbid _do_) anything more, William noticed that Mr. Feathers had returned with Grell and had fluttered down to land on the redhead's shoulder. His talons were still bright red, which conveniently matched the shade of lacquer Grell had put in a thin line around the bird's beak.

After looking scandalized at the poor pigeon, William glared at Grell. "What on earth have you done to Mr. Feathers?"

Grell turned grinning to address the bird instead of his bristling superior. "See what I mean about those cold eyes of his~? You can look, but keep your beak off! He's all mine~!" Turning back to William with a playful smile, Grell finally graced him with a reply, "I told you Will, it's MISS Feathers, and I just made her up a bit for the trip home. A Lady's got to look her best after all~!"

William growled as Grell reached new levels of ridiculousness. "Grell…"

"Aaaaaaa~"

"CoooOOOoooooo~!

Whatever William had been about to say was thrown out of his mind as he watched in disbelief. Mr… Miss… _the pigeon_ had cooed oddly and ruffled its feather's with a strange look… did pigeons even have the _capacity_ to leer! Apparently a pigeon that spent enough time with Grell did.

"Oh not you as well!" William snapped. It cooed again in a manner that could only be described as suggestive, and William rubbed the bridge of his nose as he mourned the loss of yet another productive employee to Grell's dubious influence.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	14. 20 Questions and An Answer

_Short and very sweet chapter. Pure unapologetic fluff ^_^ It's quickly become one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy. And no, I don't know when Alan became some sort of wise mountain sage or relationship counselor, but somehow it just seems appropriate to me XD_

* * *

**20 Questions… and An Answer**

It was now or never.

Grell had been back over two weeks now and things had finally settled down into some semblance of normalcy. As Grell got back into the swing of simultaneously delighting and annoying him daily, William had been busy preparing. Though to properly prepare for the monumental task before him… he had needed advice…

* * *

"_How would I propose to a Lady? What kinda question is that! I'm a free agent senpai! I've just got too much love to give!"_

_William huffed at the young man's entirely predictable response. "Supposing you were to end your childish lifestyle and settle down with a decent woman Ronald Knox! It was merely a hypothetical question!"_

_Ronald smirked. "This wouldn't have anything to do with popping the question to Grell would it? Because I wouldn't exactly call him a 'decent woman'…"_

_William frowned and adjusted his glasses in a valiant attempt to look imposing. "Honestly, must I explain to you the meaning of hypothetical?"_

_It seemed that his boss's intimidation tactics had no effect as Ronald laughed cheerfully and winked as he replied. "Oh right, I forgot this is completely hypothetical! Well, if it were me, it'd be real romantic! Roses, candles, maybe some stuffy chap playin' the violin, the whole nine. At a real fancy restaurant or somethin', girls eat up that kinda stuff. My lucky lady would have no choice but to say yes!"_

_William fought down the urge to roll his eyes. "That sounds awfully clichéd Ronald Knox…"_

"_Maybe, but there's a reason why its a classic. It gets results!"_

* * *

When faced with Ronald's 'advice' on the subject, William supposed he may have had a point about the classical approach, but it just didn't seem right. Grell was nothing if not unique, and while it was clear he enjoyed romance, Ronald's scenario seemed too generic for the likes of the one-of-a-kind redhead. Not to mention that method's incredibly _public_ nature! William blushed just _thinking_ about all those stranger's eyes on them as he attempted to ask his lover perhaps the most important question he would ever ask him.

The door clicked with a dreadful sort of finality as William locked up his office for the evening and started in the direction of Grell's office, where the redhead was once again serving overtime. As he walked, William mused on the next pearl of wisdom he had received several days ago…

* * *

_William felt silly not asking him in the first place really, considering he had real life experience in these matters! A few months ago, shortly after their double date… experience, Eric and Alan had suddenly shown up at the office one morning wearing matching plain gold bands on their ring fingers. When Grell had immediately pressed for details, he learned that the two of them had done a private ceremony of sorts to affirm their partnership. They simply filled out a bit of paperwork to officiate it and quietly went on as normal, only more or less… married. It seemed quite a sensible way to go about it in William's opinion, and a very good place to start addressing his own problem…_

"_Eric Slingby, may I ask you a question of a… personal nature?"_

_William's eyebrow twitched as Eric nonchalantly propped his feet on his desk and reclined with his hands behind his head. "Fire away boss."_

_Clearing his throat, William decided to let Eric's disrespect of his furniture slide and simply get straight to the point. "How exactly did you propose to Alan Humphries?"_

_Eric promptly tipped his chair over. Coughing and sputtering, Eric picked up his chair and situated himself (properly this time) before replying in a guarded tone, "What makes you think I did?"_

_That certainly hadn't been what William had expected to hear. "What do you mean? Did you simply discuss it and come to a mutual agreement?" William tried desperately not to let himself get too excited at the prospect of this whole mess being solved by rational discussion._

_Eric added further to his supervisor's surprise by glaring at him. "Christ! Does it not occur to anyone that he might have proposed to me!" he muttered in irritation even as his cheeks were dusted a faint pink._

_In all honesty, the thought of Alan's proposing to Eric had never crossed his mind. William blinked owlishly and replied eloquently, "…oh."_

"_It's not like I wasn't planning on it!" Eric snapped, not sure whether to be embarrassed about the declining state of his perceived manliness, or insulted at Alan's perceived lack of it. "He just… beat me to it is all!" His gruff demeanor faded as he looked down and fiddled with his wedding band. "He said it was about time one of us got on with it… he said he… he didn't have forever…" he finished, softly whispering the last bit with a pained faraway look in his eyes…_

* * *

Even though he had asked the wrong half of the pair, William had still learned that their situation was in no way similar to he and Grell's. It was utterly heartbreaking, though entirely unhelpful to William at present. Just when he had thought he had run out of avenues of advice and William had lost all hope of figuring out exactly how he was meant to do something so important, help had come in the form of his only sensible employee…

* * *

_As the brunette popped his head around the doorway and politely requested entrance to his office, William merely waved him in as he stared ahead in deep contemplation of his growing predicament._

"_Hey, Eric told me that he was kinda grouchy with you earlier today. I'm sorry if he offended you. I think he wants to apologize too, but his pride might need a day or two" Alan said apologetically, laughing lightly at Eric's stubborn nature._

"_Wha- oh. It's perfectly alright Alan Humphries. It was a misunderstanding on my part" William answered, tactfully omitting the fact that he had not given the smaller of the two men enough credit to propose._

"_Yeah, he told me that you were surprised it was me who proposed to him" he replied with a self deprecating chuckle, not seeming offended in the least. "Why were you two talking about proposing though? Are you thinking of asking Grell?"_

_William studied Alan's open expression and the innocent curiosity in his tone before sighing deeply. "I… yes. It's just… I'm not sure what to say. Ronald Knox seems to think a large public spectacle is in order… which I'm sure Grell would prefer… though I would be happy with a simple discussion at home… but Grell wants romance-"_

_His boss's increasingly panicked explanation was halted by Alan's soft good natured laughter. "William! William hold on! You're over thinking it!"_

"_Wh- how so? This is serious Alan Humphries!" William sputtered indignantly._

"_I know. What I mean is…" Alan paused as he searched for the best way to word his thoughts, "…you seem to be worried about what Grell wants not being the same thing as what you want. But what's the thing Grell wants most in the world?"_

_William stared blankly at Alan._

_Alan gave his hopeless superior a dry look. "__**You**__ William. Grell loves you more than anything; he says it at least a dozen times a day! Just do something that you're comfortable with. A big flashy proposal is something he would do! So unless Grell plans on taking some initiative and doing the asking, then just focus on a way that's uniquely you… and I guaranty he'll absolutely love it."_

* * *

If this worked, Alan Humphries would most definitely be receiving a raise.

As William rounded the corner and peered into the large office shared by his subordinates, he honestly wished he could say he was surprised by what he saw. There was Grell, alone at his cubicle in the dimly lit office… sound asleep on his paperwork. William frowned and approached the sleeping shinigami. It had been quite a while since William had gotten a good look at his lover's workspace. It was surprisingly tidy, but still rather cluttered for William's tastes. Aside from the standard office supplies necessary on a daily basis, Grell's personality shown through with curious (and predominantly crimson) trinkets placed about his desk that he had picked up during decades of misadventures.

His gaze shifted to the half wall separating Grell's work space from Ronald Knox's, upon which hung various doodles and candid photos of he and his coworkers, and… oh good lord. Grell had _framed_ William's "love letter". Rubbing the bridge of his nose, William wondered what on earth he was thinking as he stood here at Grell's desk, his grip tightening nervously on the small rolled up stack of forms he held.

Grell mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep, drawing William's attention. As he looked over the redhead's shoulder to see the familiar sight of drool spreading over a half-finished balance ledger, William wasn't sure whether he was irritated at the fact the paperwork was now ruined, or impressed that Grell had at least _attempted_ to finish it before giving into fatigue. Though knowing Grell, he had most likely given into boredom. William's gaze shifted to a small stack of finished reports and he sighed lightly in relief. Perhaps Grell wasn't a lost cause just yet. William found himself smiling fondly as he watched his lover sleep.

How many times had he found Grell just like this, dead asleep in the cubicle next to his? How many times had he silently laid his jacket over his partner's sleeping form? Had Grell known then that it was him that had made that small gesture? Why had he even done it in the first place? Despite Grell being everything he should despise in a shinigami, why had he always found himself so drawn to him?

After well over a century, William had yet to find the answer to any of those questions, but at present, there was only one pressing question he wanted answered.

"Grell Sutcliff!" William barked as he used the rolled up stack of forms he held as a makeshift club to thwack the redhead's thick skull. "Here I come to tell you that your overtime for the evening is finished, only to find you asleep!"

"W-wha? Will? WILL!" William actually had to stifle a rare desire to laugh as Grell shot up and nearly tipped his chair over, his form-turned-pillow still stuck to his face. Blushing and glaring daggers at Will for waking him from his beauty sleep, Grell ripped the paper off his cheek and continued, "What was that for? I was having a really good dream~!"

William had half a mind to enquire about his dream, specifically about the potential role a certain demon had better _not_ be playing in it, but he currently had more pressing matters to attend to. "You know precisely what it was for Grell Sutcliff! While you may have the luxury to dream of lord knows what, I merely dream of you completing your paperwork!" William paused and gulped, willing his hands and voice not to shake as he placed the forms he had been holding in front of his lover. "S-starting with these."

"What! You're giving me _more_ paperwork? Wi~ll! I'm so~ tired! Can't I do these tomorrow?" Grell whined pathetically.

William cleared his throat, both anxiously awaiting and dreading Grell properly examining the forms. "You don't _have_ to fill out these particular forms at all, as they are entirely optional…"

"Then why on earth are you giving them to me?" the redhead asked incredulously, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "I don't want to do them~! Now let's go home Will~!" Grell cheerfully declared as he tossed his hair and made to get up…

"…but…" William placed a hand on Grell's shoulder to steer him back into his seat and confront the paperwork, "…I would greatly appreciate you taking a look at these… immediately. They may be of some particular… interest to you. I believe it is about time that we… ahem… put things in order."

Grell looked at his lover as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head. The redhead would have thought Will was joking, but intimately knowing who he was dealing with, it was highly unlikely. Heaving a long suffering sigh at his lover's almost pleading look that he go over the bloody paperwork, Grell gave the forms his full attention. "Fine fine~! I swear William, the things I do for yo-" Emerald eyes widened as Grell began to comprehend what exactly he was looking at. "Emergency contact… insurance information… power of attorney… change of name…" excitement built in the redhead's voice as he flipped through the pages with increasing speed, "…marriage license! Will…" Grell held a hand to his heart for fear of it beating out of his chest, "…are you… _proposing_ to me?"

William gulped nervously and shoved up his glasses. "Technically speaking… yes."

Instead of the joyful cries of 'yes!' he had heard so much about where marriage proposals were concerned; the office was filled instead with Grell's bright laughter.

"W-what is so funny Grell Sutcliff!" William stammered as he felt his face burn with embarrassment.

"Oh Will, only you would use _paperwork_ to propose~!" Grell answered through his giggles.

William felt as though his face were on fire as his blush spread clear up to his ears. This wasn't going exactly how he had hoped. Nervously and unnecessarily pushing his glasses up once more for good measure, William replied indignantly, "Yes well, it seemed… appropriate! More importantly, it is customary to _answer_ when someone poses you such a question Grell Sutcliff!"

As he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye, Grell smirked mischievously. William held his breath… as Grell turned back to face his desk without a word. _Was that a… no?_ Too stunned by Grell's non-response to do much else, William watched as Grell picked up a pen.

"Wh-what on earth are you doing Grell Sutcliff!" William choked out, his voice cracking a bit in near panic.

Grell replied in a slightly playful tone. "Answering you of course~!" Faithful red pen in hand, Grell began to fill out his name on the top form with slow deliberate strokes.

"Oh honestly Grell, just say yes!" William huffed with frustration as the tension of the whole situation threatened to give him a heart attack.

"If I had been proposed to the _proper_ way, then I _might_ give you a proper answer~!" Grell replied in a teasing singsong voice as he reached the heart over the 'i' in Sutcliff.

William glared. Why had he even dared to imagine that Grell would be anything but difficult, even in this situation? "Honestly… my way was perfectly fine…" he grumbled as he grasped the redhead's shoulder to roughly spin his office chair around to face him. Frowning and blushing furiously, William sunk down on one knee. Pulling out the small velvet box that had been burning a hole in his pocket for over a month, William cleared his throat and began, "Grell Sutcliff… I-I would be honored if you would be my… well… that is to say… will you marry me?" he mumbled, certain he was doing this entirely wrong.

Grell gasped and put his hands to his face as he glimpsed the modest yet beautiful ruby engagement ring that William had so carefully chosen for him… before launching himself at his lover and knocking him to the ground in a tangle of overjoyed redhead. In-between tears of elation and kiss after kiss to William's now lipstick covered face, Grell murmured, "Yes… yes… I kept _waiting_… I thought you'd _never_… yes!"

_Yes… Grell said… yes._ The part of William's brain that was still functioning properly was simply _appalled_ at the silly grin beginning to sneak its way onto his stoic features. Though William had been sure of the redhead's response from the start, for some reason he was filled with the most profound sense of relief as Grell tearfully accepted his somewhat botched proposal. With his mind still reeling with what had just taken place, William slid the ring onto his lov- his _fiancé's_ finger as a warm fuzzy haze seemed to overtake him, and he said the first thing that popped into his mind. "I'll still be wanting those forms by the end of the workday tomorrow Grell Sutcliff."

William was answered by Grell's joyful laughter, before all thought was wiped away completely as his lover kissed him.

* * *

The next day, Grell turned in the only paperwork he had ever completed _well_ before its deadline.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	15. Rule Number 5

_Remember the author's note in the first chapter, "__Please forgive my wild speculation and blatant making shit up"? Yeah, that XD I've always thought it was odd that given what we know about shinigami, William's group seems a bit… unorthodox. This is my (completely non-canon) theory as to why. _

_This chapter is all about the fifth rule stated in the "Shinigami Haken Kyoukai no Theme" which was kindly translated by Nayama. If you haven't seen the second Kuroshitsuji musical, "The Most Beautiful Death in the World", then not only are you probably VERY confused by Alan and Eric, but I pity you greatly for having not witnessed it's sheer AWESOME!  
_

* * *

Rule Number 5_  
_

It was that time again. It was time for the East London Division's bi-monthly disciplinary notices to arrive. It was going to be a long day. Most divisions only had a short monthly report of its members' misbehavior. William's division however… was a bit of a special case.

William was still relatively young by shinigami standards, and he was therefore rather proud of his accomplishment, managing his own division so early on in his career. He had thought all his hard work and dedication had paid off… until they assigned him his division. East London.

London's east end was widely known to be the most overworked and under-appreciated division in all of Britain. It was a traditionally poor district of humans, and therefore the district with the highest mortality rate. They were understaffed to deal with the shear amount of collections for the area, not to mention the high concentration of demons drawn to the high quantity of souls. It was enough the drive any shinigami unfortunate enough to manage the division to the brink of insanity.

However, William didn't fancy himself just any shinigami. He was clever and determined, with an insistence on no less than perfection from his employees. The majority of his subordinates were new recruits, fresh from training and ready to be put through the hellish gauntlet of East London. If they proved to be competent and capable shinigami after a trial period under William's supervision, they were snatched up without fail by other divisions. More desirable, flat out _better_ divisions. Leaving William to do nothing but wish them well and await his new crop of short lived subordinates. Though, there were a few employees that William was almost certain he would _never_ see move on. These special cases broke so many rules and misbehaved so often that the secretaries had taken to separating out the few infractions made by the bevy of young shinigami under his charge, leaving another much larger pile specifically for the four 'full timers' of East London.

The forms on top of that rather substantial stack belonged to Eric Slingby. William frowned as he surveyed his division's most senior reaper's infractions. A healthy portion of them were rule number five citations, as well as a few reports of human world property damage, and one count of late soul retrieval. Not too bad by Slingby's standards, William wryly thought as he filed away the forms. Eric had been a member of East London Division even before William had taken over. He was widely considered to be a loose canon, completely unwilling to follow orders and unconcerned with the safety of his colleagues, not to mention the souls in his charge. The man was reckless, angry, _dangerous_. No one had bothered to consider that perhaps Eric had merely been _lonely_.

Of course William T. Spears had never subscribed to such silly psychobabble, as if loneliness was any excuse for poor job performance! Whatever William's opinion happened to be on the possible relationship between loneliness and misbehavior, both problems were inadvertently solved (the former far more than the later) when his superior had forcefully assigned Eric Slingby a partner…

Alan Humphries' file was only marginally smaller than that of his cohorts, but for entirely different offenses. William sighed tiredly as he skimmed over the usual rule number five forms and came to the bulk of the charges. Dereliction of duty, late retrieval, failed/aborted retrieval, demon related soul loss. William clenched his teeth. These were surely serious infractions, made all the more serious by their being rather unavoidable, given Alan's unfortunate situation.

Alan was a bright fellow, calm and polite and remarkably diligent to his duties. When the young man had first arrived, William had been certain there had been a mistake; surely this was no place for such a fine shinigami in the making. Then he had been quietly informed of Alan's… condition.

The young man had quickly proved his worth however, not only ingratiating himself to his peers with his good manners and kind disposition, but his influence seemed to have single-handedly turned around Eric Slingby's attitude. Eric mellowed with Alan's presence, and Alan thrived under Eric's tutelage… though the rule number five infractions began to skyrocket, it seemed the lesser of two evils. William greatly admired Alan Humphries' drive and his impeccable sense of duty, and saw him as a valuable asset around the office, as he was often the only good influence to be had where paperwork was concerned.

However, when it came to collections, that diligence and determination often worked against him. Alan would stubbornly insist on going it alone as often as possible, only serving to endanger himself and the souls he was meant to collect in the process, should he find himself in the throes of his illness. William truly felt for him, wanting so badly to prove he could keep up, when the fact of the matter was… he simply _couldn't_. Alan's attacks had been steadily increasing over the years, and though he pretended otherwise, William could see the fatigue wearing down the young man's already frail body. Wondering just how much longer he could put off Alan's inevitable transfer to the relative safety behind a desk at General Affairs, William slid the forms into Alan's folder.

William's look of sympathy morphed into a full on grimace as his eyes fell on Ronald Knox's substantial infractions. Aside from a heap of rule number five violations, Ronald Knox had a bit of a… tardiness problem. For all the time the idiot spent glancing at his watch, it may as well have been written in ancient Sumerian for all the good it did him. Despite always going on about "not being late _this_ time", he always seemed to find something to distract him when the collection time came and went. Even when he wasn't being held up by a pretty face, or a pint with the lads, or perhaps someone dangling their bloody keys in front of him, Ronald tended to be a bit… sloppy in his collections. The young man seemingly always had somewhere he would prefer to be rather than prowling the streets of London with a heavy lawnmower. _Of all the idiotic deathscythes! How in blazes did he ever get that authorized? _His haste to be at said places combined with the general nature of said lawnmower tended to cause a fair bit of damage to the souls he collected, as well as the surrounding area.

Honestly! Ronald Knox frustrated William no end, as he was certain there was a competent shinigami hidden _somewhere_ beneath that ridiculous mop of two toned hair! William had seen flashes of it; rare occasions when he turned in his paperwork on time several days in a row, or got to a collection ahead of schedule. Out of all the 'full timers', as others passing through the division so lovingly called them, it seemed that Ronald was there mostly by choice. William hoped that within a decade or two Ronald Knox would tire of being perpetually late and hung-over, would clean up his act, and would be promoted out and up. Yes, there was still hope that Ronald would yet be a proper shinigami, much like himself, much like every other blank emotionless face in a suit and spectacles he passed in the hall each day. It was the nature of their work, of their world. Given enough time, everyone turned out the same… everyone except…

_Grell Sutcliff_. Grell had broken nearly every rule in the book, many of them more than once. The redhead seemed utterly unconcerned with any rules or regulations, thinking perhaps they were meant for everyone but him. From minor dress code violations that William had given up on decades ago, all the way up to higher shinigami court proceedings governing unauthorized soul collection. Grell had been in deep trouble for his Jack the Ripper stunt, and William had never been more furious with him… or more worried for his former partner's safety. He had nearly lost Grell… and the light in William's world had come dangerously close to being extinguished before it had even had a chance to fully shine.

With a bit of luck and a few choice words from William's testimony, Grell had made it through the trial relatively unscathed. This allowed Grell the opportunity to keep busy annoying his long suffering boss while simultaneously making William fall even further in love with him daily, completely against the stoic man's will and better judgment. It had been well over 20 years since Grell had finally gained victory in the battle for his true love's heart, and William sighed with a mixture of relief and frustration at the usual mountain of relatively minor infractions the redhead had earned himself these past two weeks. The bulk of the charges were, unsurprisingly, rule number five. Grell's disregard for this particular rule was at once William's favorite and least favorite of the redhead's offences. After all, if Grell's smile hadn't utterly intrigued him, hadn't completely bewitched him, William would likely still be leading the normal respectable boring life he always had. William felt that it perhaps would have been easier that way, but it filled him with an undeniable sadness to even imagine such a life now.

Still, rules were rules, and William felt it was high time he had a talk with his 'full time' employees about their particular trouble regarding rule number five.

* * *

As he approached his subordinates' office, lively voices floated down the hall to accompany William's grimly determined procession.

"...so I've got to know Grell, what's William senpai like at home?" It was a young cheerful voice that could only belong to Ronald Knox.

"You know, I've always wondered about that…" William guessed that to be Alan's innocently inquisitive tone.

"Mmmm… well in _bed_-" William's eyes widened as he hastened his steps._ For heaven's sake Grell!_

"Christ senpai, I didn't say bed! No one wants to hear that! I said _home_!" Ronald cried in dismay.

"Yeah, does he make you fill out paperwork informing him what's for dinner?" William glared upon hearing Eric's playfully mocking tone.

"Oh please! He's only done that a few times~!" came Grell's giggled reply. Not that it mattered, but William sincerely hoped the others realized Grell was joking. By the assembly's laughter, it seemed to be the case.

"_Honestly_ though…" Grell's teasing inflection was rewarded with renewed laughter, "…he's still Will, all stoicism and seriousness, but at home he's more… I don't know… relaxed? He likes to read in the evenings, but sometimes I'll snuggle up to him, and we'll end up talking for hours~!" The redhead sighed wistfully. "I get the best of both worlds really! He's so cold at work it still sends a shiver through me when he looks into my eyes, but at home, when he smiles at me! Aaaaa~ I just melt~!"

"Wow! And here I was sure there had to be an ancient prophecy somewhere about William senpai actually _smiling_ being a harbinger of the apocalypse!" Ronald exclaimed as William finally rounded the corner into his subordinates' office.

"And here I thought that you knowing how to correctly use a word like 'harbinger' was a sure sign that the end was nigh" William couldn't help from responding dryly.

William's rather snarky statement was met with peels of laughter, as well as an indignant "Hey!" from Ronald Knox, before all of them seemed to simultaneously realize just who had said it. Their heads turned as one to stare in shock at their newly arrived supervisor.

"Will~! We were just talking about you~!" Grell excitedly exclaimed.

"So I heard-" William began, before stopping abruptly at the sight of his subordinates. Alan seemed to be the only one working, while Eric sat lounging about next to him, facing Ronald and Grell who were… William raised an eyebrow in confusion, "May I ask what on Earth you two are doing?"

Grell smiled brightly and replied, "Giving Ronnie a manicure of course~!"

William's other eyebrow joined its fellow as his confusion only grew. "I was under the impression that only _women_ got manicures Ronald Knox."

Ronald grinned as Grell filed away at his pinky nail. "You're living in the past senpai! These days, Ladies love a well groomed man!" William gave him a dry look as Ronald smiled like an idiot. Grell took advantage of his victim's inattention to sneak open a bottle of liquid paper and paint a strip of white along the top of Ronald's neatly clipped and filed nails. As William's eyes flicked toward the redhead's handiwork, Ronald looked down in alarm. "Shit!" The blonde quickly yanked his hand away from the giggling redhead. "What the hell senpai!"

"French tips darling! Only the best will do for my maid of honor~!" Grell giggled over Eric and Alan's laughter and Ronald's indignant sputtering as he frantically searched for something to wipe off the offending white.

"Hey! Man of honor Grell! _Man_ of honor!" He said with a glare, before smirking mischievously and using Grell's pant leg as a towel to remove his unwanted nail adornment.

Grell gasped in shock, though he quickly recovered from the blonde's assault on his trousers to address his rather stunned lover. "Oh that reminds me Will~! Did you decide on who's going to be your best man?"

William scowled as he looked at his subordinates… getting manicures and talking about wedding nonsense, not a one of them doing their job… except… "Alan Humphries."

Alan raised his head from his paperwork, surprise written on his features as he turned to face his boss. "Yes sir?"

Clearing his throat, William straightened his glasses. "Would you like to be my best man?"

Alan smiled and blushed ever so slightly, immensely flattered. "Thank you William. I would be honored."

Eric crossed his arms and adopted an expression that could only be defined as a pout. Clearing his throat, Eric grumbled, "So should I just wait for my invite to come in the mail then?"

Ronald laughed and lightly punched him in the arm. "Oh come off it! You've got the best deal of us all! You can help out with the ceremony if you want, or if you decide you've had enough, you get to just say 'sod it' and go have cake and booze while me and Alan are stuck up there fiddling with rings and dress trains!"

"Plus I'm afraid you'd look simply awful in a bride's maid dress Eric~!" Grell added with a wink.

Eric seemed to cheer considerably at Ronald's grim prediction and following outrage at Grell's teasing about having to wear a dress. If he _were_ teasing that is. One never really knew with Grell.

As his subordinates laughed and chattered on about his upcoming nuptials, seemingly forgetting his presence entirely, William came to the sudden realization that the situation had spiraled well out of control. "That is quite enough!" he snapped, nodding minutely with satisfaction as the noise immediately ceased. "Ronald Knox, you will most certainly _not_ be wearing a dress. Eric Slingby, it should be obvious you are invited to the wedding, and we can certainly use you as an usher if you wish. Now could someone please enlighten me as to why Alan Humphries is the only one _working_?"

"Because we're done of course~!" Grell answered as he cheerfully handed over a small stack of papers. "We all thought we'd stay and keep him company~!" Ronald followed suit and handed his boss a rather messily organized pile of forms with a grin and playful salute.

Before William could enquire about this unusual occurrence, Eric handed in his work as well. "Alan's been a bit under the weather lately, so he's a little behind, but the only reason we're all done is because he's been on our cases to finish our work on time!" he blurted out awkwardly in defense of his lover.

William raised an eyebrow. "I can quite well believe that. But surely you are providing more of a distraction than anything" he said, frowning with disapproval.

Alan turned to him with a sheepish smile. "I told them they didn't have to stay, but they aren't bothering me. It's nice to have the company. I actually think the silence would be more distracting" he laughed softly before turning back to his work.

"So why don't you join us William?" Eric suggested, pulling out a neighboring office chair and rolling it toward his boss.

"This is not a social call Eric Slingby" William dryly replied as the chair bumped his shins.

"Aaaaaaa~ you just couldn't wait to get home to see my beautiful face could you~!" Grell giggled with a wink before blowing him a kiss.

Forcing down the ridiculous urge to dodge Grell's invisible kiss trajectory, William pressed on. "I came to discuss an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. Namely, your continued insistence on breaking, or rather completely _ignoring_, rule number five!"

He was met with three blank stares. "Um… refresh my memory…" Eric murmured, his eyes glazing over at the mere mention of rules.

"Wasn't it something to do with our deathscythes?" Ronald wondered aloud while scratching his head.

Grell didn't even pretend to know or care what rule it was, merely shrugging and filing his nails while waiting for Will to get on with it.

"We work coldly, without even a smile" Alan recited, his eyes still on his paperwork.

William sighed with relief. "Well at least one of you has read the handboo-"

"I can't imagine why it should matter though" the brunette continued under his breath, a hint of bitterness colouring his voice.

"Yeah, what kinda rule is that!" Ronald asked incredulously.

With four sets of emerald eyes now turned on him, awaiting the reason for the seemingly arbitrary rule, William felt much like a fish out of water as he soundlessly opened and closed his mouth, willing a logical explanation to spring forth. "Well… that is… it's simply…" realizing he didn't have the faintest idea _why_ the rule existed, he quickly changed tactics. "It doesn't matter what the reasoning behind it is. What's important is _why_ you lot feel the need to break the rule consistently!"

"Why smile? Why _not_ smile!" Alan spoke up boldly, "It certainly makes my day brighter when I come into this division and see my friend's smiling faces, and I hope I can help brighten someone's day in return! I'm certainly not going to waste what time I have left looking miserable because some pointless rule tells me to!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he realized he had nearly been flat out yelling at his superior. Lowering his eyes with a faint embarrassed blush, Alan continued in his normal polite tone, "I-I'm sorry sir. It's an issue I suppose I feel rather strongly about. If it's causing you trouble… I… I can try to stop-"

"No! Don't you dare stop smiling Alan!" Eric passionately interjected. "You know, I was a right bastard before you came along… but you… your smile… you saved me Alan" he finished softly, seeming to forget momentarily that there were others in the room.

Alan smiled warmly at his husband. "A right bastard huh? I'm sorry, but I just can't have you talking that way about the man I love."

The world seemed to have fallen away for William's two love struck subordinates, the pair's eyes fairly glimmering with hearts and sparkles as they gazed tenderly at one another and began leaning close together. William loudly cleared his throat. "Need I remind you that you are still on the clock?" he asked sternly with a frown.

"Sorry sir!" Alan gasped, blushing scarlet and hastily turning around.

"Kill joy…" Eric grumbled.

William sighed heavily. "No one is asking you not to be _happy_… it's just…"

"Don't show it right? Bugger that! I don't think smiling impedes me doing my job one bit!" Ronald hotly interjected.

"You'll _still_ be late whether you've a smile or a frown on your face, right Ronald?" Grell asked with a mischievous grin.

"That's right!" As his three cohorts snickered, Ronald seemed to grasp what he had just agreed to. "Hey! Shut up senpai!" he glared as he kicked the redhead in the shin. Feeling better, Ronald beamed as he made his closing argument, "Besides, the Ladies love a winning smile!"

William felt that this whole conversation was backfiring, as his subordinates only seemed to be smiling _more_ after the subject had been breeched. Grell was no exception, as he turned his radiant smile on his fiancé, giving William the curious sensation that his knees would give out at any moment.

"You know you really should smile more often Will~! You have such a beautiful smile, it's really a shame to hide it" the redhead said sweetly, causing his co-workers to reflexively turn their eyes toward William, as if Grell's comment would cause him to start smiling uncontrollably. _Honestly_.

"Don't be ridiculous Grell Sutcliff! I see no reason why you lot can't seem to control your facial expressions, as I certainly seem to be able to!" William stammered, wishing everyone would stop staring at him.

"You know Will, instead of worrying so much about that silly rule; maybe you should be glad that your division is happy enough to keep _breaking_ it…" Grell murmured, still wearing that damn stunning smile.

"That's a good point senpai! I can't imagine any other division being half as great as ours! We're like a family!" Ronald chuckled as he threw his arms around Eric and Grell's shoulders.

"You said it kid! You're like the bratty little brother I never had... or wanted!" Eric laughed as he decimated Ronald's hair by ruffling it into oblivion.

The three of them erupted into cheerful laughter and rough-housing as Alan quietly rose and handed William his completed stack of papers. "It's true you know. I couldn't ask for a better group of shinigami to work with, _or_ a better boss… though perhaps he could stand to smile a bit more!" Alan said with a laugh as he playfully elbowed his superior.

Eric noticed Alan was finished and quickly yanked him into the fray, playfully dipping him into a kiss as Ronald and Grell laughed happily beside them. "Honestly, I give up, you lot are completely beyond help!" William said with exasperation... though perhaps not without a hint of fondness for the ridiculous band of fools. For as ridiculous as they were, William supposed they were _his_ band of fools after all.

William didn't realize his slip up until it was too late.

"_Who's_ beyond help Will~?" Grell asked with a smirk on his lips and warmth in his eyes as he glimpsed his lover... breaking rule number five.

William's eyes widened in horror as he realized his lips had traitorously turned upward ever so slightly at the joyous spectacle his subordinates were making of themselves. Blushing furiously and looking down to school his expression, William straightened his glasses and coughed lightly. "Yes… well… just see that you keep in mind what we have discussed!" he finished hastily before turning on his heel and fleeing, lest he find himself smiling again, or heaven forbid _laughing_, at his subordinates' antics. Their idiocy clearly seemed to be contagious.

Though as he returned to his office to close up shop for the day, William found himself thinking on what they had discussed as well… wondering if perhaps those idiots might just have a point about rule number five.

* * *

Two weeks later, and William was once again assailed with reports of his division's failings. Though as he filed away the seemingly endless notifications regarding rule number five, he thought that perhaps this particular infraction wasn't the failing he had once thought it to be. Indeed, William even went so far as to feel an oddly rebellious sense of pride, of _belonging_, as he slid his own single rule number five citation into his previously empty file.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	16. So Cold

_It's been getting colder here, which makes me excited for winter. Just a short bit of fluffy fluffity fluff for a rainy (or snowy) day ;)_

* * *

**So Cold**

William watched idly as the fog slowly cleared from the chilled window pane. A sip of tea. An exhaled sigh. Another patch of fog. This was William's time, in the early morning hours, when the world was still asleep. Most people in his acquaintance seemed to think him odd for not stealing a few more hours of sleep on his days off. Perhaps he _was_ odd, given that his internal clock simply would not allow him to sleep a second after the sun barely peeked over the horizon. Grell however, did not share this anomaly.

While the redhead peacefully dozed in the next room, William took the opportunity to drink his morning tea (or coffee if it had been a long night) and organize his thoughts. Today, while his mind should have been occupied with planning the day's errands and chores down to the minute, for some reason one thought derailed him time and again.

_In three months… I'll be married._

It wasn't as though the thought were particularly alarming, as he had known since the date had been set that their wedding would be held in the early spring. It had simply come as a bit of a revelation how soon that really was. The wedding had always seemed like a far off and intangible event, but as the last dwindling autumn leaves blew away with the first flakes of snow, William realized that only one season stood between him and the altar.

At least it was a season William enjoyed. Winter had always been his favorite. Everything shone with a quiet understated elegance. No gaudy flora or fauna dared to brave the harsh cold, leaving the landscape crisp and undisturbed… save for the occasional robin flitting through the barren trees, its crimson breast a splash of colour in a monochrome world. Yes, winter was peaceful, serene, almost asleep… waiting…

_What an odd think to think. What on earth would a season be 'waiting' for?_ William wondered with furrowed brows and a thoughtful frown. Though nearly as soon as he mentally questioned his unusual word choice, his subconscious answered. _The Spring_.

_Yes, I suppose in a way winter does wait for the spring to thaw it… to bring it to life… Grell always did love the spring…_

William coughed lightly as he caught himself redhanded very nearly making a poetic comparison between he and Grell's relationship and the changing seasons. _Honestly! What is he doing anyway? He'll sleep the day away at this rate!_

There was no real need to wake Grell yet, but for some reason William was suddenly feeling a tad grouchy this morning, and could see no reason why Grell shouldn't have to suffer beside him. William decided on waking his lover gently today however, perhaps by shaking his shoulder lightly, rather than jarring him awake as he often did. After all, Grell hadn't technically done anything to warrant a rude awaking lately, and William didn't fancy having an irate sleep deprived redhead on his hands. Though as he entered their bedroom, William sighed in mild irritation as he found that all his planning had gone to waste.

"Good morning Will~!" Grell chirped cheerfully from his spot perched atop a nest of blankets, surrounded by a sea of white papers. _A robin in the snow_… William grimaced faintly at his silly metaphorical musings. Perhaps he should have gone with the coffee this morning.

"Honestly Grell Sutcliff, I had imagined you would still be asleep at this hour. What on earth are you doing?"

"I had a dream that there was a problem with the seating arrangement and the whole wedding was ruined~! I couldn't rest until I fixed it!" Grell exclaimed, as though making a wedding seating arrangement in bed at 5:30 am were the most natural thing in the world.

"A dream? Honestly Grell, you can't be serious. What, pray tell, was this catastrophic seating mishap?" William asked, curious despite himself.

"Well originally I had Sebas-chan over here…" Grell pointed a crimson painted nail at a chart marked with several tables and numerous scribbles, "…but it's too near General Affairs, see…" William eyebrow twitched violently as his fiancé continued, "…well you know how those tarts are Will! A bunch of thieving cats~! I can't have them paying attention to Sebas-chan when everyone should be focused on _me_~! So maybe over here… no… hmmmm… there's always the main table I suppo-"

William put a stop to Grell's pondering by snatching up the sheet of paper and tearing it in half. "Make a new seating chart. One that does not involve that filthy demon, as he is most definitely not coming to the wedding" he said matter-of-factly, not leaving the matter up for discussion…

…unless you were Grell Sutcliff of course. "But Will, he's an important part of our lives! If he hadn't caught me prettying up those whores, you wouldn't have gotten to nurse me back to health, or defended me so bravely during my trial! Aaaaa~ it was so romantic!"

"I in no way _nursed_ you Grell Sutcliff! I stemmed the bleeding on any major injuries and sent you to the infirmary! As for your trial, I merely didn't want to lose an employee, however disobedient or unreliable he may be!" William snapped; beyond irritated that Grell seemed to honestly want that demon at their wedding!

As usual, Grell heard only what he wanted to, blocking out anything that might contradict his assessment of his lover's romanticism as his train of thought forged ahead. "I wonder how we can contact him. Surely he must have eaten that brat by now…"

"Yes, what a charming dinner guest he will make" William replied sarcastically. "Honestly, you do realize that most certainly isn't even the wretched cur's name anymore?"

Grell pouted slightly as he placed a finger to his unpainted lips. "I suppose that's true. What a pity… Well, he'll always be Sebas-chan to me~! I suppose I'll just pencil him in and invite him if I come acro-"

William grabbed the pen away. "He's not coming."

A grin lazily stretched across Grell's features. "Alright… but only if you admit you're jealous of Sebas-chan~!"

"I will do no such thing. Last time I checked Grell Sutcliff, I happened to be getting married as well, so it stands to reason I should have a say in the guest list. No demons."

"Aaa~ so cold!" Grell held a wounded hand to his brow in a swoon, though he quickly smiled playfully and grasped William's hand in his before continuing. "Fine, no demons, not even my Sebas-chan~! So what should our colours be for the ceremony?"

"Exactly… wha- colours? I thought _you_ were planning those sorts of things" William replied haltingly, caught off guard by the abrupt change of topic.

"I am, but I figure you may have a point. I'm not the only one getting married. So what colours do you like Will?" Grell asked sweetly, batting his auburn lashes.

"I had assumed the ceremony would be predominantly red…" What other colours were there in Grell's world?

Grell rolled his eyes and laughed. "Well of _course_ there will be red, but there has to be another colour to compliment it~!"

"…blue?"

"Oh no no Will~! Blue is all wrong with red. It will look too… I don't know… _patriotic_~! No it has to be yellow, or maybe even gold~!"

"Very well" William replied, not knowing what else to say exactly.

"What about the music for the reception?" the redhead asked excitedly; seemingly thrilled he had cornered William into a discussion about the wedding.

"I haven't the faintest idea Grell. Classical I suppose?"

"Oh that's far too stuffy~! I think jazz would be better! They play it in all the dancehalls, and those speakeasies in the states~!" the redhead seemed to shiver with excitement at the prospect of their wedding resembling a rowdy public house.

William sighed tiredly, suddenly wishing he could just go back to sleep now. "I don't know much about popular music, so just do as you like."

"So we agreed on an outdoor ceremony right?"

"It might rain, it being so early in the season…" William murmured skeptically.

"I'm sure it will be fine~! I want sunshine and roses and birds singing and oh Will it will be just perfect~!" Grell squealed as he rung William's hand and hopped up and down on the bed.

William rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "Honestly Grell, why did you bother asking my opinion if you planned on disregarding it?"

"Don't you know anything about women William? I'm a bride~! I don't _want_ your opinion, I just want you to _have_ one~!" Grell replied with a wink.

_That has to be the most nonsensical thing Grell has said to date_. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, it's not too late for me to call this whole wedding off."

"Mmmmm I love you too my darling~!" Grell giggled before stealing a kiss.

It was William's turn to roll his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're the one who wants to marry me~!" the redhead replied with a smirk.

"Lord knows _why_" William muttered without any real malice as he extracted his hands from Grell's grip and stood up.

Grell pouted comically. "So cold."

"Just like your breakfast will be, if you don't get out of that bed…" William said as he made his way to the kitchen to prepare their morning meal. Perhaps chicken in a basket. It was a completely unnecessary and overly flashy way to make eggs and toast, which was precisely why Grell had always liked it.

Alone in the kitchen, a soft smile found it's way onto William's lips as he cut a hole in the center of a slice of bread. _Cold… I suppose so... and just like winter… I'm __waiting for the spring…_

* * *

_To be continued..._


	17. Dream Lover

_This chapter was inspired in part by the wonderful fanart by Nimbus on my profile page of Commodore William and pirate!Grell… in a cave, thanks to Nimbus's wacky livestream fun with some BB dot net buddies XD It is __therefore __also related to __Chapter 12: __Penny Fabulous, and has several references to it, including Donald the cabin boy, who has earned himself a rather predictable surname ;)_

* * *

Dream Lover

It was a typical Thursday at London Dispatch. Paperwork was stamped and filed, souls were collected, deathscythes polished, glasses adjusted. All was as it should be… save for one minor discrepancy.

Despite his best efforts not to, William T. Spears was thinking about sex.

Not fantasizing mind you! Which was apparently the problem. William groaned inwardly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. As was so often the case, this was _entirely_ Grell's fault. Anyone who had experienced the morning William had would be in a similar predicament…

* * *

He was in a cave, that much was certain. His stone surroundings dripped with moisture, feeding the smattering of moss and succulents that clung to life in this hidden place. Light peeked through the cave mouth… was it daytime? It seemed so dark, yet that was most definitely sunlight illuminating the waves that lapped at the mouth of the cave. Specks of light danced in the surf, reflecting off its turbulent surface to paint Grell's hair with highlights of auburn and gold.

Grell? _Was_ that Grell? His attire was… unusual. A fine crimson waistcoat and ruffled white shirt replaced his shinigami attire, and he seemed to be holding a ridiculous hat, but there was no mistaking that lecherous grin. _What is he doing here? What am _I_ doing here? And why is Grell in manacles?_

"Mmmm… whatever do you plan to do with me Commodore, now that you have me at your mercy~?" Grell purred, shifting to brush his backside against William's groin, making it clear who exactly was at whose mercy.

_Commodore? Am I a Commodore? Yes. That's right… and Grell… a criminal… a pirate._ Though William supposed that really should have been obvious, given the comically large treasure chess in the corner surrounded by doubloons and gems. Had that _always_ been there?

"I will hold you accountable for your crimes" William heard himself saying.

"What about _your_ crime Will, shouldn't you take responsibility?" the captive redhead purred, rubbing against him more forcefully and leaning his crimson head back against William's shoulder. Try as he might, the Commodore couldn't stop the gasp of pleasure that escaped his lips.

"And what crime would that be?" William asked as calmly as he could with the redhead draped all over him. His hands somehow found themselves settling on Grell's waist… to restrain him from the escape attempts he was sure to make… honestly.

It seemed he hadn't held on tight enough however, as Grell suddenly turned in his arms, clutching the crisp material of his uniform coat. "Theft of course~!" the redhead replied, perhaps a bit too flirtatiously for someone accusing a highly decorated Royal Naval Officer of theft.

"Quite a strong accusation, coming from someone who steals for a living. And what is it that I'm meant to have stolen?" William replied. He should have been pushing Grell away, should have been punishing him for his insolence, but William found himself busy simply trying to suppress a shiver of desire as the redhead's soft breath caressed his lips.

"My heart…" Grell whispered, before he in turn stole his captor's lips.

_His heart! Honestly, of all the ridiculous clichéd tripe! This isn't a romance nov-_ William's irritated mental tirade on the absurdity of his predicament was interrupted by Grell's tongue slipping into his mouth, as the redhead was wont to do. Well, at least _something_ about this bizarre situation was realistic. _Really though, Grell can't honestly be expecting to-_ William groaned has the redhead's thigh slid between his legs to knead the growing bulge there. _Honestly Grell, in a _cave_? It's positively unsanita-_ William gasped as Grell's manacled hands breached his trousers. _Oh bugger it…_

* * *

Grell awoke with a start at the heated bulge pressing rather insistently against his bum. In his sleepy haze of confusion, the redhead pulled away from the assault on reflex. A small whimper escaped his bedmate's lips at the loss of contact. As the redhead quickly awoke and grasped the situation, a wide Cheshire grin lit up the darkened bedroom. _Looks like someone woke up before either of us… I suppose it's only proper to say good morning~!_

With the stealth and grace of a cat stalking its prey, Grell carefully turned and pushed Will onto his back, pulled back the covers, and slinked his way down his lover's body…

* * *

…he was on the cave _floor_, that much was certain. Grell lie beneath him, panting and moaning with desire. _Where exactly did our clothes go? Wait, how _could _Grell take his clothing off with his hands bound?_ As if in answer to William's confusion, the redhead's hands wandered from their position exploring his naked back to caress his face. His decidedly unshackled hands. _Were there ever manacles in the first place? Surely_… Something was nagging at the back of the Commodore's subconscious… something about this situation was _off_… however the vast majority of his consciousness was too preoccupied with the intense pleasure he was feeling to pay it much heed…

Fingernails dug into his back… more… slender legs tightened around his waist… yes… closer… _more_… William grit his teeth and sped up his pace… _faster… chasing that elusive feeling… close enough to grasp… always too far away… harder… so hot… tight_… _Grell_…

_The world was spinning... crumbling... falling away…_

William gasped as though he were coming up for air. He thought for a moment he hadn't yet reached the surface, his reactions sluggish and vision blurred. It was dark… too dark to see anything… anything but red… bobbing up and down... on his throbbing arousal! William moaned deep in his throat at the pleasurable friction before inhaling sharply as the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of brinks.

"Grell Sutcli-iff! What on ear-nnnng earth are you doing!"

William hissed with pleasure as Grell carefully ran his sharp teeth along his lover's length as he brought his head up to answer. "Mmmm…" the redhead sensuously circled the head of his lover's weeping erection with his tongue, "Just having breakfast in bed darling~! Now stop interrupting! It's terribly rude for a lady to talk with her mouth fu-mph~!"

As Grell hungrily descended on his cock once more, William couldn't help but think that nothing about the redhead's current behavior could be classified as 'Ladylike'. Though William supposed that was of little consequence as Grell moaned in the back of his throat, sending a jolt of pleasure up William's spine. Upon fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table, William looked properly at his lover. He nearly came at the site. Grell was sweating and trembling, his eyes half lidded and looking straight at him as he… touched himself… back _there_.

For a split second, William very seriously considered shoving Grell off him purely on principle and demanding to know why he was being molested in his sleep! Though as he ran his fingers through that perfect crimson hair, urging his partner up to meet his lips as he reversed their positions, pressing the redhead into the mattress and taking him hard and fast, William decided any questions or reservations about his current predicament could wait until the sun came up…

As dawn trickled through the blinds, patterning bare flesh and tangled sheets with alternating bands of light and shadow, William felt he had finally caught his breath enough to speak. "So what exactly was that stunt about Grell Sutcliff?"

"I just thought I'd give you a wakeup call~! Though I can't take all the credit for the idea I'm afraid." Grell smirked wickedly. "So… what were you dreaming about Will~?"

At Grell's query, the entirety of William's dream came flooding back to him. Realizing he had most likely been aroused even before Grell had joined the party, and had therefore in essence started the whole affair, William decided that irritation with his amorous lover was most likely unfounded in this case. Blushing slightly, William frantically thought of a way he could get out of this without admitting what he had been dreaming of. "T-that should be fairly obvious."

Grell giggled and traced a line of sunlight running along William's bicep. "About _me_ I hope~!"

"…perhaps."

"Aaaaaa~ Will tell me please! I keep asking you what you fantasize about, but you _never_ tell me~!" Grell exclaimed with a pout.

"I do not tell you because I have no such fantasies. Honestly, I hardly recall the dream." William typically made it a point never to lie, but Grell would never let him live it down if he knew his writings had stuck with him so much. Or God forbid, he may want to do some sort of roll play.

Oh, the redhead had _tried_ mind you. Grell had whined and begged his lover to pillage 'Grellenore' after letting slip that he'd seen the manuscript, but William had nipped that right in the bud. William had vowed that 'Commodore Lance' would be making no appearance until that cabin boy 'Donald Cox' was sacked… and the 'Dread Pirate Bastion' had walked the plank!

"_Everyone_ has fantasies Will~! There has to be something you want me to do to you! I'll do anything you want…" the redhead purred.

"Finish your paperwork on time today." William dryly replied.

Grell huffed and sat up. "So cold! Well have it your way, or rather _don't_, since you won't tell me what your way is! I'm going to take a shower, _you_ can make breakfast!"

* * *

William was by no means reliving the ridiculous dream or the following… _activity_. Rather, his thoughts had been continually drifting to Grell's question. What _did_ he fantasize about? Surely there was something he secretly desired.

Grell certainly had fantasies enough for the both of them. At first, William had been genuinely confused by Grell's desires. He liked being tied up, gagged, and humiliated. Grell loved _pain_. William had always viewed Grell as a very dominant personality, demanding attention and seemingly always getting his way, by force if necessary. The effeminate redhead could easily keep pace with William physically, and perhaps even overpower him on occasion if he had a mind to. So it came as somewhat of a shock when Grell exhibited such submissive behavior in bed.

William soon discovered that above all else, Grell yearned to be _dominated_. He wanted to be taken and claimed entirely, marked by his lover's bite marks and bruises. As much as William failed to understand it, Grell claimed to view himself as a woman, so perhaps that was it. Grell longed to be the submissive partner, but demanded someone worthy of submitting to.

After coming to terms with Grell's odd preferences, it was easy enough to satisfy him. William was more than up to the task of putting the feisty redhead in his place. He'd been doing it for years at work, only with considerably more clothing on and considerably less pleasurable results. It was thrilling in a way, walking that razor's edge, cutting just enough to bleed but not maim, bruising just enough to ache without damaging too deeply. In an odd way, William felt that these seemingly violent actions spoke of the deep trust between them, so he was content to concede to Grell's masochistic desires.

Grell certainly made for an exciting lover. He delighted in roll playing, often as a female, and William would humor him occasionally in the heat of passion. The redhead had insisted they experiment with various props; a riding crop, long feathers, even _food_ was not safe from Grell's adventurous spirit. Though in compromise, William insisted that their most wild exploits were saved for weekend evenings only, as to not affect their job performance as they recuperated.

On one such weekend, about three years ago, they had broken the kitchen table in a particularly vigorous instance. Several months ago, William had tied Grell to the bed and meticulously snipped the redhead's lingerie to ribbons with his deathscythe, catching flesh and painting him the colour he loved so well. Just last week, they had caused such a ruckus that a neighbor had pounded on their door, certain that someone was ransacking the house. Honestly, that _had_ been awkward.

Jumping with a start as he realized he had been lost in memories of he and Grell's shocking sexual exploits while he was meant to be working, William quickly clocked out to take an early lunch. He had a feeling he wouldn't be eating much, but at least he wouldn't be wasting time on the clock! Of course he would work unpaid overtime as well to make up for his moment of distraction.

Now momentarily free of responsibility, William sought to quickly get to the bottom of this so he could get back to work with a clear head. He locked the door to keep the subject of his potential fantasies from interrupting him. Thus far his efforts at fantasizing had only resulted in remembrances which, while enjoyable, weren't exactly scenarios he would ever dream up himself. What was it about being intimate with Grell that excited him… or perhaps was lacking that he desired?

Suddenly another memory surfaced in his subconscious. It wasn't so much an image as it was the feelings attached to it. Passionate desire… an almost desperate need. When Grell had returned after being gone a month, and that first night they spent together. Even though his first time with Grell had been far from perfect, there had still been that rush, that primal _need_. Both of them had been trembling, their hands hastily fumbling to remove the layers of clothing separating them. Hearts pounding in unison, humming with desire as their bodies joined in the most intimate way possible.

William's blood began to race as he recalled that feeling. Though he and Grell didn't have intercourse every night, it was still often enough that William could scarcely recall experiencing that desperate need more than those few times. Honestly, this morning had proven that he had become so desensitized to it that he could quite literally have sex with Grell _in his sleep_!

That was all well and good, but wanting desperately to rip his lover's clothes off and jump him was hardly a fantasy. William stitched tactics. With he and Grell's wedding fast approaching, William took a moment to consider their wedding night. Would it be like the majority of their lovemaking? Filled with bites and bruises, a fight for dominance? For some reason, the thought just didn't set right with William. Grell was by no means the typical 'bride', but even so, William was certain a wedding night shouldn't be about pain. It should be about the thrill of discovering each other, experiencing that kind of intimacy, that kind of _pleasure_, for the first time…

Without warning, his mind began effortlessly painting a picture. It was a simple image… his hands gliding over Grell's shoulders, caressing soft warm skin. The redhead always complained his shoulders were too broad, so there would no doubt be some sort of sleeve on Grell's wedding gown in an effort to hide the masculine features. William would slide the smooth material over the delicate curves of Grell's shoulders, leaving kisses as he went. His hands would travel lower, circling his new bride's waist and caressing his arched back. He would untie the dress's bodice with skilled hands. William would kiss him… anywhere he could reach… everywhere. He would take his time. Grell would gasp breathlessly as a hand ghosted up the flawless skin of his leg, brushing his inner thigh… His bride, screaming not in pain, but in utter rapture as pure unadulterated pleasure consumed him.

William gasped as he realized his trousers felt about three sizes too tight. That had most definitely been a fantasy. Had he been anyone else, he may have laughed at his fantasy being utterly normal (if not overly tender) lovemaking. As it was, William was merely proud of himself for finally coming up with something.

Problem solved for the moment, William concentrated on the least appealing things he could think of to quickly remedy his… _condition_. Paperwork, overtime, Ronald Knox's dreadful pickup lines, those infernal General Affairs parties he had been dragged to on occasion, Grell's perpetually burnt meatloaf… crimson eyes and that bloody smug smirk. That did the trick.

William made a quick meal of a leftover scone from breakfast and punched back in, diving into his work with renewed focus.

* * *

Honestly, it was Grell's own fault for wanting to know his fantasy.

"You heard me Grell Sutcliff, no intercourse until after the wedding."

"But Will! The wedding's still over a month away!" Grell exclaimed in mild panic.

"I know perfectly well when our wedding is" William calmly answered as he adjusted his glasses.

"Then why are you being so cruel! Don't you want me anymore?" Grell pouted, though William easily saw through the redhead's wounded act.

"Honestly, that should be obvious as well. It is precisely the reason I wish to abstain until our wedding night" he replied in exasperation.

"You want to withhold sex from me for a month, _because_ you want me?" the redhead growled in frustration.

"Because it will be our first night as man and wi-" William stumbled slightly on the word that would most likely always give him pause, "…and _wife_, and I want that to _mean_ something Grell Sutcliff!" he finished crossly, irritated at having to spell it out for his stubborn fiancé.

Grell's eyes widened in surprise as a slow grin replaced his irritated scowl. "Mmmm… and what do you plan on doing to your beautiful bride on her first night as a married woman?" the redhead murmured teasingly.

William raised an eyebrow and cryptically replied, "You wanted to know my fantasy didn't you?"

Grell instantly plastered himself against his lover's frame. "Mmmmm~ you sure you don't want to try it out now~?" he purred seductively while teasingly drawing patterns on the taller man's chest with a crimson painted fingertip.

William calmly adjusted his glasses and extracted the flirtatious redhead from his personage. "Patience is a virtue Grell Sutcliff" he replied, turning on his heal and striding toward the bedroom without a backwards glance.

The redhead heaved a frustrated sigh, sending his crimson fringe skyward. "But Wiiiiiii~ll! Not even _oral_?" Grell loudly whined after his lover's retreating form, no doubt waking half the neighborhood.

_Honestly, this is going to be a long month._

* * *

_To be continued..._


	18. The Language of Flowers

_Sorry for the loooong absence! *hopes someone is still reading this* Holidays were busy, and frankly I kinda lost my writing mojo. So here's me trying to get it back. I was silly and thought that February was in Spring for some reason, when it is clearly in winter. So push back the last chapter by a month (2 months without sex noooo!), enjoy a surprise (early) Valentine's chapter, and let us speak of it no more! Really, don't sweat the timeline too much with this story anyway (or the POV in this chapter for that matter), as it's all just meant to be in good fun ^_^ Stay tuned for Will's stag party next chapter, now with 75% more Ronald!_

_And yes, these are all real meanings/facts for these flowers… and I now officially have a new Grelliam flower~!_

* * *

**The Language of Flowers**

William raised an eyebrow as he studied the calendar, or what could loosely be called one. Grell seemed to be holding up rather well under the strain of planning a wedding… though William's strictly disciplined "no sex" policy was obviously beginning to take it's toll. It had been three weeks thus far, and in an apparent attempt to entice his cold lover into relenting by giving him endless fantasy scenarios (or simply to supply the redhead with material for his increasingly long sessions in the bath) Grell had taken the liberty of turning their kitchen wall calendar into some sort of erotic advent calendar. The many-doored façade crafted from bits of red lace and satin was truly beautiful and had clearly taken countless hours to construct. William almost found himself begrudgingly impressed with the ridiculous creation… until he opened a door each day.

February 13th, 'Red leather chaps & reverse cowgirl position~!' _Honestly, do I even _want_ to know what that's supposed to mean?_

"Aaaaa~ that's a good one Will~!" purred said 'cowgirl' as he sidled up behind his bewildered lover, "I haven't got the chaps on hand, but we can definitely try out that position tonight~!"

"I haven't any idea what you're on about, but we will most certainly not be trying anything until after the wedding Grell Sutcliff!" William responded coolly as he side-stepped Grell's embrace.

Knowing it was utterly futile by now, Grell made no argument, though it didn't stop a full blown pout from blossoming on his lips. "I swear, you owe me at _least_ 3 dozen roses this year for all this torment you're putting me through~!" Grell's dramatic pronunciation of his fiancé's floral debt was met with a blank stare from William. "Tomorrow's Valentine's Day Will! Don't tell me you've forgotten!" the redhead huffed indignantly.

"Of course I haven't. I merely think it is a ridiculous excuse for a holiday. It's nothing but saccharin sentimentality and excessive public displays of affection. We have never celebrated it before, so why are you making such a fuss all of a sudden?" William reasoned with his signature detached inflection.

"Because all those other years when the man I loved failed to give me even a single flower, candy or card, at least I could console myself with _sex_! But since you're denying me that as well this year, you'd damn well better get me some flowers to make up for my sacrifice~!" Grell snapped irritably.

Grell's rosy cheeks were puffed up in irritation, his crimson eyebrows knit together as he stood bristling in his red silk nighty. The redhead really was being ridiculous, though a completely illogical and irrational corner of William's brain told him that Grell was absolutely adorable when he was angry. _I suppose there isn't any harm, it's just flowers after all…_ "Alright Grell."

"…I mean really Will, every year I have to watch those tarts up in General Affairs get bouquet after bouquet, while my desk stays empty~! Even Ronald has a good haul, and don't even get me started on Eric and Ala-"

"I _said_ alright Grell!"

"…ove poems and I- What?" Grell's mood instantly brightened, the redhead scampering up to Will and excitedly taking his hands. "Really Will? You'll get me flowers this year~!"

At Grell's earnestly joyful reaction, William couldn't stop his lips from turning up ever so slightly. "Yes Grell, I suppose I'll get you some flo-"

"I want long stem roses, red of course ~! At least a dozen, though a girl can never have _too_ many roses~!" the redhead cheerfully instructed.

William's short lived smile vanished as he fixed his demanding bride-to-be with a dry look. "Honestly Grell Sutcliff, I do believe I am fully capable of picking out suitable flowers for you."

Grell grinned and winked at his stern lover. "Alright, whatever you say darling. As long as my Will gets me flowers I'll be a happy woman~!" he said patronizingly, clearly excepting Will to do as he was told and get him roses regardless.

William rolled his eyes as he turned from the giddy redhead and started toward the study.

"Aren't you coming to bed Will?" Grell asked with an audible pout.

"I'll be in shortly…" he replied distractedly as he scanned the bookshelves for a specific volume.

"Alright~ goodnight Will" Grell sighed forlornly as he made his way to the bedroom and shut the door.

"Yes… yes goodni- ah! Here it is" William murmured to the empty study as he spotted his prize. _Floriography: The Complete Edition_.

William felt he ought to be embarrassed to own any books on the subject, but he couldn't help but find the concept somewhat fascinating. There was something about the Victorian practice of using flowers to subtly convey one's feelings that resonated with the stoic man. William had always found it difficult to put his inner most feelings into words. It made him feel too exposed… too naked. But to give your lover a yellow chrysanthemum or red rose, and have your intentions clearly understood with that single gesture, there was something so simplistic and beautifully efficient about the whole process that William couldn't help but admire.

Now what to convey was the question. Grell's heavily hinted red roses very plainly said "I love you". While that was true, it seemed somehow insufficient. As Grell said, everyone in the office will have a bouquet of roses on their desk tomorrow, this ridiculous holiday turning what should be a profound and meaningful sentiment into a cheap thoughtless trinket.

_Surely there must be something _more _I want to say to him…_ William turned the pages, smiling softly as he found his answer. _Perfect._

* * *

When Grell awoke the next morning to an empty bed, the redhead's first reaction had been dismay. _Did Will not even bother to come to bed last night~? _Grell's worries were quickly alleviated when he noticed telltale signs of his lover's presence. Namely, Will had attempted to make his half of the bed with Grell still sound asleep on the other half, to somewhat less than successful results. The mystery of Will's absence was conclusively solved when Grell sluggishly put on his glasses and noticed a note beside the bed.

_I had an errand to run this morning. Be sure to get to work on time today Grell Sutcliff. _

_-William_

_He must be getting my flowers~!_ Grell thought with excitement as he prepared for the day. Today was special, so of course every dab of makeup had to be perfect, not one fine crimson hair out of place~! Grell wiggled with delight at the thought of being the talk of the office. _Aaaa~ the infamously cold and stoic William T. Spears, waltzing right up to his one true love and presenting her with a stunning bouquet of red roses… maybe even two~! Perhaps he'll have written a poem as well~!_ Grell gasped as he glanced at the clock and realized that time had run away with him yet again. The redhead quickly grabbed his ledger and an apple off the kitchen counter before darting out the door.

Skimming his to-die list, Grell determined that all of his collections for the day were scheduled at the start of his shift. This was Will's doing, most likely in a futile attempt to encourage the redhead to do his paperwork for the rest of the day with no distractions. More than anything it gave Grell ample time to pester everyone else as they came and went on assignments.

All suicides today it seemed, typical Valentine's Day fair. Two hangings and one poisoning… boring. One man shot himself, which was a great deal messier, but Grell could at least appreciate the speed with which he had dispatched himself (as the redhead certainly had better places to be). The last poor bastard on the list chose to end it by slitting his wrists in the bath and waiting for Death to claim him… and waiting… and waiting~! _Humans truly underestimate just how much blood they have~!_ Grell thought with impatience as he munched on the remainder of his apple while the unconscious man bled out for over half an hour… watching crimson ribbons flow from the deep cuts and stain the water the loveliest shade of red…

XOXOXOX

Grell burst through the office door after his morning collections with a spring in his fabulously high-heeled step. Not even those smug whores the redhead passed in the hallway, their arms laden with flowers and heart shaped chocolate boxes, could dampen his spirits. For this year Grell would outshine them all~!

The redhead pranced to Ronald's empty desk and left the blonde his annual handmade Valentine's card (complete with filthy limerick inside) all the while giddily envisioning Will's romantic declaration. By the time imaginary Will had dismounted the white horse he had somehow acquired and began to serenade his beloved, the redhead had wandered across the room and absent-mindedly bumped into Alan.

"Steady on there Grell!" Alan said with alarm as he narrowly averted spilling coffee on the both of them. Noticing the redhead's wider than usual grin and dreamy faraway look, Alan raised an eyebrow, "You seem to be in high spirits today… did William finally crack?" he asked with a smirk, teasingly referring to the infamous 'sex ban' Grell had been complaining about nearly non-stop to anyone who would listen.

"Oh I wish~! No, but this year he's finally going to get me some flowers~!" Grell excitedly squealed as he handed Alan his own Valentine's card.

Alan thanked his effeminate co-worker and gave him a card in return. "Good for you Grell! It's about time really, considering how long you two have been together!"

"I know~! I'm sure he'll make up for it this year though! He owes me!" the redhead grumbled, though thankfully stopping before launching into another tirade about his sexual frustration. Grell's scandalized expression quickly brightened into a sly grin as he eyed the shorter man's lapel. "Ooo~ is that from Eric?" he asked, pointing at a pair of lovely flowers pinned there.

Alan blushed ever so slightly and smiled fondly. "Yes, we always get each other a boutonnière for Valentine's."

"Aren't you two just darling~!" Grell sighed. "I don't recognize these flowers, what are they?" the redhead asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"This purple one is a Larkspur, and the white one is a Star of Bethlehem."

Grell pouted in confusion. "They're lovely, but shouldn't he have gotten you roses? It _is_ Valentine's Day after all~!"

Alan's expression darkened as he gave Grell a wry smile. "I don't really care for roses."

_How could someone not care for roses~!_ Grell thought incredulously. _Roses are so romantic~! Beautiful crimson petals that almost look like they're made of velvet… graceful long slender stems… long stems… covered in thorns… oh… right…_ Grell blanched a bit at his brilliant deduction's conclusion, but pressed on none-the-less. "Well you might not care for them, but I do~! Oh I can't wait~! Any minute now, he'll come through that door with a beautiful bouquet of roses, maybe even two or three~! Oh I can just see the looks on those tart's faces up at general affairs~! They'll be so jealous~!"

So caught up in his excited ramblings, Grell failed to notice Alan's increasingly frantic gestures and nods indicating that they were no longer alone in the room.

"I failed to realize this was some sort of interdivisional contest Grell Sutcliff." The redhead whirled around to see that the speaker was none other than a thoroughly un-amused William T. Spears. "Honestly, if that is the case, then I hate to disappoint you. Your flowers, as requested." A faint blush could be seen on the stoic supervisor's frowning face as he adjusted his glasses. "See to it that they don't distract you from your work, or I will not hesitate to confiscate them."

Grell's excited features fell as Will stood expressionless and held out the ugliest little bundle of flowers the redhead had ever laid eyes on. Sneering at the motley assortment, Grell replied through clenched teeth, "Where they _out _of roses Will?"

William glared. "They most certainly were not. They simply were not appropriate for the message I wished to convey" he replied coldly.

"Message? And what would that be, that you care so little about me that you couldn't be bothered to get me what I asked for! Think of what people will _say_! Really Will, they're hideous and... and _blue_!" Grell scoffed in disgust. "What _are_ those things anyway?"

William's expression shuttered closed, presenting Grell with an unreadable icy façade he hadn't seen for decades now. A sense of dread began creeping over the irate redhead, but he pushed it down as he waited impatiently for an answer.

With swift strides, Will crossed to his lover's desk and laid the unwanted flowers down before replying in a voice devoid of all emotion. "They are hydrangeas Grell Sutcliff. I am truly sorry you find them so distasteful, but I can assure you that you will never have to experience such embarrassment in the future, as you will never be receiving flowers from me ever again." William kept his face down to hide his expression, swallowing hard and adjusting his glasses once more. "Now get back to work!" he snapped before turning sharply on his heel and storming out of the office.

Everything in Grell told him that something very wrong had just occurred, something that went far beyond a silly bunch of flowers. His first impulse was to run after his lover and make things right, but stubborn pride held him back. Grell turned his eyes to the offending foliage on his desk and growled in frustration. _How could Will be so insensitive~! All I asked for were a few roses, is that really so hard! I bet that these were just cheaper!_ The furious redhead grabbed the pitiful bouquet and threw it in the rubbish bin.

"Isn't that a bit harsh Grell?" came a voice filled with thinly veiled disgust.

Turning angrily, Grell saw that Eric had apparently come in unnoticed during his tantrum. "I don't see how it's any of your business Eric!"

"It is when you treat my friends like shit!" the taller man spat back.

"Oh please~! He needs to learn a lesson! You and Alan may have your cutesy little tradition, but Will has never _ever_ gotten me anything for Valentine's Day, and when he _finally_ does, he completely ignores my instructions and gets me some ugly blue flowers off a sodding _bush_~!"

"…roses come off a bush" Ronald unhelpfully supplied, waltzing in at the worst possible time. It certainly didn't help that the cheerful blonde held no less than four dozen long stem red roses (with tags addressed to him in four unique feminine handwritings), with as many lipstick kisses on his face and neck to match. Noting Grell's seething expression, Ronald raised a curious eyebrow. "Geez senpai, what's up your arse?"

Grell's infuriated battle cry and Ronald's _very_ manly yelp of terror were drowned out completely by the roar of a chainsaw as the room exploded in crimson rose petals.

As the petals drifted to the ground and the exhaust cleared, Ronald high tailed it out of the office, no doubt straight into the arms of some general affairs whore to reap some sympathy affection after his harrowing ordeal. It was just as well, as Grell would just assume be left alone. As the redhead's initial irritation slowly cooled, a gnawing sense of guilt began needling at his heart, causing an ache he was certain had nothing to do with his disappointment at not getting his precious roses. Replaying the argument over and over in his mind, Grell was forced to sit with the knowledge that his reaction had most likely hurt his beloved. _But Will hurt me too…_

Grell had been so lost in thought that he failed to notice the heated debate taking place across the room. Alan and Eric spoke in hurried whispers, glancing frequently and gesturing in the redhead's direction. Finally seeming to come to some sort of consensus, Eric shrugged in defeat as Alan rummaged through his desk and took something out before storming over to Grell's desk.

The redhead bristled as his co-worker approached, not at all in the mood for one of his comforting speeches. "Bugger off Alan!"

"I most certainly will not Sutcliff!" the brunette snapped, his brows furrowed in anger. "You are behaving like a spoiled child and frankly I've had enough!"

Grell's mouth hung open in shock as Alan unleashed his wrath on him. They had all witnessed Alan's occasionally fiery temper during some of he and Eric's more tumultuous lover's spats, but never had he dared talk to Grell in such a manner. "Now you listen here Ala-"

"No _you_ listen! William was under no obligation to get you _anything_, yet he went out of his way to give you flowers, and this is how you treat him, the man you claim to love?"

"But I… he… why would he get me _these_!" Grell whined as he shrunk back in his seat, feeling inexplicably intimidated by the petite brunette.

"I don't know Grell, but since when have you known William to do _anything _without good reason? Perhaps if you'd taken a moment to actually _look_ at the bloody flowers, you might find out why! Here!" Alan slammed down a small book on the redhead's desk. "Stop whining about what you didn't get and find out what you _did_!" The fuming man stormed toward the door, "I'm headed out on a collection, and don't you _dare_ follow me Eric! Happy bloody Valentine's!"

Two pairs of emerald eyes stared in shock as the door slammed shut. Eric coughed uncomfortably and turned toward his paperwork, leaving Grell alone with a book on the language of flowers, a bouquet in the rubbish bin, and his turbulent thoughts.

It figures Alan would have a book like this. Grell could vaguely recall him saying something about Eric being named after a flower that meant 'loneliness' or somesuch. Like all proper ladies of society, Grell of course new the meanings of the various colours of roses, carnations and tulips, as well as the odd daisy or daffodil. Grell had quickly lost interest however, as the whole practice seemed awfully tiresome. _If you have something to say, simply get your sweetheart whatever flowers look best and just bloody well _say_ what you feel~!_

Regardless of his feelings on the subject, Grell simply couldn't fathom someone as no-nonsense as Will using flowers to communicate. Alan certainly seemed to think Will had sent a message though, in fact Will had even _said_ as much. _'They simply were not appropriate for the message I wished to convey '_ With his curiosity piqued, but his pride too wounded to concede defeat, Grell slowly slid the book toward him and flipped through it, stubbornly looking for anything other than hydrangeas. _What was it Alan said his flowers were? Lark… larksomething… Larkspur!_ Emerald eyes eagerly skimmed the entry on the little purple flower. '_Larkspurs represent levity and lightheartedness, as well as telling the recipient "You have a beautiful spirit/soul"'._

Grell smiled faintly at the sweet sentiment as his fingers moved with a mind of their own, finding the page for the little white flower on Alan's lapel. _The Star of Bethlehem, named for its resemblance to the shining light that lead the three wise men, represents hope._ The redhead gasped and put a hand to his lips in an attempt to keep them from trembling. _Hope for a beautiful soul… just where do those two get off being so tragically adorable~!_

"You know, I think this somehow counts as mail fraud, you reading the message I meant for Alan…" Eric dryly commented from over Grell's shoulder.

"Gah~! Don't sneak up on me like that~!" Grell snapped before he fully registered Eric's words. Hastily shutting the book, the redhead haughtily replied, "Well then he shouldn't have told me what they were and given me a book on flower language~!"

"Easy easy, I'm just messing with ya" the taller man chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Want to know what mine means?" For the first time Grell noticed a small cluster of tiny blue flowers backed with baby's breath pinned to Eric's coat. "They're forget-me-not's, give you three guesses what he was trying to say there" Eric continued darkly, a shadow of something akin grief flickering across his eyes.

"That's awfully morbid for a Valentine" Grell blurted out callously.

Eric looked away sadly and gave a wry smirk as he murmured, "That's Alan for you, ever the realist."

The redhead sighed heavily, eager to change the rather depressing subject. "You know, for a moment I thought you were coming to yell at me too… I suppose I deserve it…" Grell murmured, barely whispering the last few words.

"Nah, I'm _always_ bad cop. Figured we'd switch it up this time" he replied with a grin.

Grell simply couldn't help himself, "Hmmm, makes me wonder what else you two… _switch_ _up_~!"

Eric's eyebrows rose in alarm, "Hey now! That's enough of that!" he replied cryptically with a faint blush colouring his cheeks. He then laughed and reached to pull an envelope out of his coat before handing it over to Grell. "But I'm glad to see you're back to your old highly inappropriate self. Here, thought I'd give you this before I head out."

"Thank you Eric, here's your's~!" Grell replied, handing Eric the card he had made him. "You're going after Alan aren't you? You do know he's going to kill you for following him don't you?"

Eric turned back toward Grell as he reached the door. Grinning roguishly, Eric adopted his crimson co-worker's famous pose. "_Death_wish~?" he teased, winking at the giggling redhead as he went out the door. "You'd better make up with Spears while we're gone! I don't want to get back and hear any more of your bitching!" Eric shouted as he strode quickly down the hall after his partner.

Now alone in the office, Grell bit his lip at stared at the rubbish bin. After a good minute and a half of internal struggle, the redhead finally decided he couldn't stand the suspense anymore, pushed his wounded pride aside, and reclaimed his bouquet from the trash. His ruby lip protruded in a pout at the state of the pathetic little bundle, made all the more pitiable by the bent and crushed portions of the previously perfectly spherical hydrangeas. Grell poked and fussed at the tiny blossoms until they resembled their former shape.

For the first time really studying the bouquet, Grell noticed some foliage in-between the blue puffs of flowers. Graceful flowing ivy and stiff piney rosemary seemed to be at odds with one another as they attempted to fill out the unusual arrangement. Taking a deep steadying breath, Grell picked up the book.

Rosemary… Grell had a feeling he should already know the meaning of the fragrant herb… it seemed so familiar! '_Rosemary has been used since ancient times as a charm to improve memory. Used in bridal bouquets as well as funeral wreaths, rosemary represents both memories of the past, and a wish for pleasant memories to come.' _ Grell inhaled the herb's distinct fragrance and closed his eyes, lost in memories of his own. _Rosemary, for remembrance_… lazy evenings spent with his head on Will's lap, slipping in and out of dreams to the sound of his lover's soothing baritone reading aloud… _pray you love, remember._

That single herb alone was enough to make Grell feel absolutely rotten for the things he'd said to Will. Sighing heavily and feeling increasingly ashamed of himself, the redhead went to turn the page, when something else caught his eye. _'There is ample folklore surrounding rosemary. For instance, it is said that any man who cannot smell the pungent herb is incapable of loving a woman.'_ Raising an eyebrow, Grell gently plucked a sprig of the piney plant and tucked it into the interior pocket of his waistcoat… just in case…

Ivy was next. Grell skimmed the colourfully illustrated pages until he came upon one with graceful flowing vines along the margin. '_Ivy represents many things, as it has long been the ancient symbol of femininity, with holly representing masculine energy. The most common meanings for the vine are friendship, fidelity, and wedded love, making it an increasingly popular choice in wedding bouquets.'_

Grell felt he was in very real danger of crying at this point. _Oh Will… I'm so sorry… _ Had the redhead known Will had put so much careful thought and consideration into this, he would have gladly accepted a whole bushel of just ivy or rosemary alone, roses be damned~! Almost afraid of what he would find next, Grell slowly turned the pages to…

'_The hydrangea is an often misunderstood and not widely used flower, as its common meaning is less than flattering.'_ Grell raised an eyebrow in confusion and read on… '_With their tough leafy petals and cold colour pallet, hydrangeas generally represent frigidity and heartlessness, though a lesser known meaning conveys to the recipient "Thank you for understanding".'_

"Oh Will~! They're perfect…" Grell whispered into the empty office, feeling the hot prickling of tears against his eyelids. _I have to tell him I'm sorry… that I finally understand… _The redhead quickly gathered the tattered remains of Ronald's once lovely roses, grabbed his bouquet of hydrangeas and ran out the door to Will's office. The supervisor should be out on his own collections now, hopefully giving Grell just enough time to do what he had planned.

* * *

William returned to dispatch with a heavy heart that had nothing to do with the handful of people whose deaths he'd just facilitated this Valentine's. As silly as it was, Grell's reaction to the flowers he'd gotten for him was still weighing on his mind. Disappointment, fury, disgust. He still wasn't sure how he would feel when he saw Grell next, the wounds the redhead had left on the heart entrusted in his care still raw and aching, but William was certain he was in no mood to be around him at present.

As William reached the door, he froze warily with is hand on the knob. _Didn't I leave my office open?_ William slowly opened the door and peered inside.

"Hiiiii~!"

William slammed the door shut, blocking out the vision of Grell sprawled across his desk surrounded by rose petals in the glow of candle light. _Honestly, what does he think he's playing at?_ Squaring his jaw and closing off his expression to reflect a cold mask of indifference, William re-entered his besieged office. "Get off my desk and out of my office at once Grell Sutcliff" he said with a deadly calm.

"But Will-" the redhead began, panic colouring his voice as he scrabbled off the desk and took a step toward his lover.

"_Out_!"

"Wait… I-"

William's eyes finally met Grell's emerald orbs, and was surprised to see pain reflected in them. _Were my flowers really _that_ embarrassing to you Grell?_ He thought bitterly as he continued in an icy tone, "Unless you have some sort of work related reason to be here, then I insist you leave."

Grell's eyes, shining with unshed tears and darting in panic, searched William's face for any sign of the care or affection he once held for him. The redhead found none, and it sent a shiver through him that chilled him to the bone. "Will…" he breathed.

"Very well then," William turned to leave, "I have work to attend to in the library today, see to it that all this mess is cleared out of my office before I retur-" he froze as Grell latched onto the back of his suit jacket like a frightened child.

"I… I do! Have a work related reason I mean… just please… wait…" Grell begged, gripping the fabric of Will's coat as tightly as he could.

William sighed, not entirely sure why he should even listen, but falling into the redhead's trap once again, as he always had. "What is it, Grell Sutcliff?"

"I, well, I have this co-worker, my partner really. You see, I asked him for flowers this Valentine's Day. But… when he gave them to me, they weren't what I'd asked for… and I… I said some terrible things to him. I realize now how horrible I was to him… and I want him to know how sorry I am… and how much I love him… so… so do you think he might forgive me?" Grell murmured against the dark fabric of Will's back, sniffling and forcing back sobs occasionally.

William felt his shoulders loosen as he listened to Grell's heartfelt plea for forgiveness. "I can't say Grell Sutcliff. From what I understand, you rejected and made a mockery of this man's heartfelt sentiment. I dare say you… you hurt him very badly…" he replied softly.

"I know, and I just can't stand it~! I got so caught up in what I thought I wanted… I didn't realize what I had right in front of me" the redhead said, angry with himself all over again for making such a mess of things. Grell cautiously loosened his grip on Will's coat, winding his hands slowly around his lover's waist and pulling the taller man tight against him. Laying his head on Will's shoulder, Grell continued in a broken whisper, "You gave me too much credit Will. I _didn't_ understand… but now I do… I'm so sorry my love…"

Any of William's remaining steely resolve was finally washed away as he felt Grell's warm tears on his neck. "Honestly Grell, I think I gave you just enough credit," William gently pried himself from his lover's grip and turned to face him. Wiping the tears from Grell's sorrowful eyes, William continued, "You always seem to come around eventually."

Grell's eyes lit up as he recognized his lover's unspoken forgiveness. Squealing with joy, the redhead pulled the taller man into a passionate embrace. William was a bit stunned by Grell's ever fluctuating moods, but welcomed the kiss none-the-less. Pulling away from his trembling lover, William finally got a good look at the room and sighed wearily at what he saw. "Grell, what on earth have you done to my office?"

"I wanted to do something romantic for you Will~! Do you like it? I played nearly 50 games of 'he loves me, he loves me not' while I prepared this for you~!" the redhead replied excitedly, pleased to do something special for his lover.

"And what were your results?" William asked dryly.

The redhead pouted. "Inconclusive."

William bent down to inspect what could have once been a rose petal, but was now a mangled shred of crimson, courtesy of Grell's deathscythe. "No wonder. I'm not sure I want to know how you acquired these Grell Sutcliff, but I must say I don't particularly appreciate you littering my office with them. Rose petals stain you know."

Grinning innocently, Grell sweetly replied, "Don't worry Will, I'll clean them up~!"

He sighed. "We both know you won't."

Grell rolled his eyes and playfully replied, "Alright fine, I'll make Ronald do it~! They're his roses anyway, I'm just borrowing them, as I've already got the most beautiful bouquet in all of Dispatch~!"

William smiled softy despite himself at the redhead's blatant attempts to get back in his good graces. Attempts that were working entirely too well. Gently tucking a loose strand of crimson hair behind his lover's ear, William softly replied, "Well be that as it may, next year I believe I will forgo all this nonsense and just get you your red roses."

"Oh no Will~! I want you to pick out my flowers next year, and the year after, forever~!" the redhead sighed dreamily as he turned toward Will's desk (where he had placed the hydrangeas as the centerpiece to his romantic vision) and lovingly stroked the tiny petals.

William was quickly getting into dangerous territory as he gazed adoringly at his lover, bathed in crimson and candlelight, his eyes softly shining with a warmth that he had kindled. Grell had kindled a warmth in him as well, which was quickly burning out of control. _It's still a good five weeks before the wedding… _William desperately reasoned as he began taking slow steps toward the door… _and it is Valentine's Day after all…_ The lock clicked shut… _it hardly counts…_ Loosening his tie, William turned to face his lover… _honestly…_

"You know Grell, it has not escaped my attention…" William reached the desk Grell stood in front of and placed a hand on the redhead's hip, "…that your making a mess of my office not withstanding…" reaching under the redhead's bum, William lifted him to sit on the desk, "…you have failed to get me even a signal flower, candy or card" he whispered, mirroring Grell's earlier words as the redhead hastily slid the card he had indeed made for Will under a pile of papers and wrapped his legs around him. William firmly pretended not to notice Grell's action as he whispered against his lover's ruby lips, "I believe you may have no choice but to… _console_ me."

"Aaaaa~ Will~!" Grell moaned as William ground his hips against him.

William quickly removed Grell's long crimson overcoat as he kissed him passionately. He greedily drunk in every detail of the redhead. His lover's touch, his taste, his sme- William broke the kiss and inhaled deeply in confusion. "Grell… are you… are you _wearing_ some of that rosemary?"

While Grell's delighted squeal and subsequent yanking him down into a fierce kiss was hardly conclusive, William decided it really was as good an answer as any. After all, if Grell did indeed have some hidden foliage on his person, William would no doubt find it in very short order.

* * *

_To be continued..._


End file.
